PostSecret

Here's a somewhat interesting concept, a blog about a blog...this entry is about the PostSecret website. In case you aren't familiar, please do check it out. It may seem weird at first, but give it a chance and I think you'll love it as much as I do. It is "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard." The founder, Frank Warren, began the project by distributing self-addressed blank postcards and asking people to decorate them and send them to him. There are only two rules - 1) it must be true and 2) you must not have told anyone before. The project also supports a suicide prevention organization, www.hopeline.com.

Every week there are secrets that make you laugh, make you want to cry for the person who wrote them, or surprise you because you could have written them yourself. Looking at PostSecret is the first thing I do every Sunday morning when they're posted, and I check back throughout the week to see if there have been any comments on the postcards. My sister bought me one of the books for Christmas, and it was my favorite gift. I haven't sent in a secret yet, but keep checking - one of them might be mine! At the risk of sounding extremely cheesy - the secrets make you feel connected to strangers, and somehow more normal knowing that others share the same secrets, feelings, and fears.

Here are two that I could have easily sent in myself...

I hate to admit my animosity toward kids that wear these stupid skate shoes - after all they're just kids and I'm sure the shoes are lots of fun. But it drives me crazy! One of the greatest things about being a kid is being in your own world, and not worrying about your surroundings. This is also one of the most logical reasons to outlaw these things! I hope that by the time I have children they only exist on the VH1 show "I love 2007" but if they are still around, my kids are definitely not getting them. What ever happened to the shoes that just lit up when you walked? Those were cool AND safe.

Here's another secret that I'm surprised I'm telling the world, but it's relevant to the topic of blogging about another blog (well, forum in this case): my name is Lauren and I'm hopelessly addicted to the Missed Connections section of Craig's List. I sometimes check it multiple times a day, and to my knowledge no one has ever posted one for me. The idea is that when you feel a connection with someone but miss the chance (or lack the courage) to tell them, you post it. If they felt a connection too, they check the site. In theory, you get in touch and go out for coffee/drinks with them and live happily ever after. I'm not sure why the MC's fascinate me so much, perhaps it is because I've convinced myself that the guy I like wants to call me, but he's just shy. That is a totally different issue and not one I'm going to delve into here! Sometimes people use it to reconnect with old friends, and others to say things they are afraid to say in person. I posted once to find a dear friend I had lost touch with, and it worked! I posted in the city I thought she was living in at the time, and her friend saw it and put us in touch. So my feelings are not completely negative - I guess I'm still hopeful, and will probably keep checking it regularly.