Post Secret

If you look to left of this post you will see a list titled Blogs I Love. The third one down says Post Secret, right? You should visit that site every Sunday when Frank Warren puts up about 20 new anonymous secrets that have been mailed in on postcards. If I remember correctly, he started with a batch of like 200 postcards that he left in coffee shops and other places. When those postcards ran out, people made their own and kept sending them! It seems the idea is a wildly popular way to release your secrets.

Today I had the pleasure of seeing his traveling exhibit which is at my alma mater university. When I read the secrets on Sunday and saw that postcards would be on display so near to me, I knew I'd go. The internet has certainly brought vivid images close, but I wanted to see these secrets in their physical manifestations! I have to say that the exhibit did not disappoint.

For those unfamiliar with the site (get thee to the link I've provided), the secrets that folks want to find release from vary in extremes. Some of them are hysterical. Some of them are more sad than you want to be for a stranger. Some pierce your heart because you could have written them yourself. Some are odd. Others are crazy bizarre! I guarantee if you read the Post Secret blog, you'll wish there were more. Yes, it's that kind of a read each Sunday. I look forward to it, sometimes cheating to peek in late Saturday night to find the new postcards are awaiting the nation's morning coffee. I swear, it's better than the newspaper.

The postcards I got to see today were wonderful. Some I've seen online, but most of them were new. It was great to see some from the website in person, but because I devour these things like Raisinettes, I loved seeing all the new private thoughts made public. My mouth turned up in a smile over many, and I laughed out loud once. My heart ached for the people whose secrets were so devastating. I rolled my eyes more than once. I found the one that my hand could have written, and I lingered over it.

One postcard came with $.12 due. Apparently, Frank paid the twelve cents because it was on display! Some are elaborate with the secret owner's artwork. Yet others are postcards that have been bought, then written over in longhand. Some people type and tape their words on to assure their anonymity. Several appeared to be family pictures, most with a bar through at least some identifying part of the person so they wouldn't be recognized. Some are a mix of all of the above.

All I'm saying is it's a very human experience. It reminds us that even in our differences, our emotions fall along the same fault lines. Experts say that forgiving someone via a letter is very healthy. I'm sure that the folks who send in secrets experience great relief in the letting go process of sending away their classified information. And hey, Frank Warren is capitalizing in a big way from this service! Good on him for taking a leap on a crazy experiment with 200 postcards and hitting an American nerve! It's great fun, as well as thought-provoking, to read the secrets at Post Secret. And I wouldn't steer you wrong, so go take a peek!