Creating Secret Maps & Other Wonders...

What would you do if you came across a bright red beautifully wrapped box along a path not far from your house?

Would you pass it up? Do you dare inspect the package a bit and wonder about its contents and its purpose for being there? Would you eagerly open the box with a sharp jolt of curiosity?

If you were to open the box, what would you find? Take some time to truly imagine and revel in what you conjure up.

I think it's very intriguing to be on the receiving or witnessing end of such a scenario, but I also think it's a brilliant feeling to know that you are the one who creates this mysterious and peculiar would-be experience for others.

I have fancied the idea of creating an elaborate map that illustrates how to discover the whereabouts of a fascinating gift of some kind. This idea was inspired by watching a segment of the animated film, Wubbzy's Big Movie, which is based on the animated children's series on Nick Jr. entitled, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy.

In that segment of the film, Wubbzy notices that a folded piece of paper falls from within the book he is holding in a library. This also catches the attention of his best friends Walden and Widget. Wubbzy then sees that the folded piece of paper is actually a map with a big x on it and claims that it is a pirate's map showing the location of hidden treasure. Although his friends are skeptical and tell Wubbzy that pirates and hidden treasure no longer exist, Wubbzy tells his friends that they must go on an adventure to locate the treasure of this map. He tells them that they must believe.

They soon set sail on a an old boat that Widget managed to repair with her usual crafty skills and they come across a number of wacky perils that they eventually find creative ways to get themselves out of. Each time Wubbzy and his friends come across danger, he continues to tell them to believe in the map and treasure. Just when they are about to give up and Wubbzy begins to feel that his friends might be right about there not being any treasure, on their way back to the ship, they all look up and spot a big house on a mountaintop shaped like an x. Wubbzy points and exclaims in excitement that this must be the treasure that they've been searching for and that he was right all along about believing.

Soon a pirate, with a love for sweets and missing front teeth, shows up and tells them that they've indeed come across the treasure. He tells them that he left the map, that true reward was in the adventure of following the map and that he'd like to not only offer them each candy, but that he wants them to place the map back where it was so that others can stumble upon it by chance and also experience the same kind of journey.

Although this animated film and its series is intended for children, I find the cartoon very inspiring and entertaining and watching made me think of doing something similar in the near future. I'd love to create a unique handmade gift of some sort or even design something as simple as a beautiful message, place it in a well-hidden, alluring and attention-grabbing box and leave it someplace that can be discovered through the directions of an also discreetly-placed illustrative map that I'd make from scratch.

I guess the question is: How would one ever know that someone else discovered the map and gift?

The answer is you can't really be sure what happens or if someone will ever find it in the way intended to be found, but it still feels great to be able to do something like this and at least create the possibility of someone coming across surprise and being delighted by it. If you come back to check on the map and gift and it’s gone, you can always imagine that someone did indeed fulfill that mission.

If we look back at history's sentimental yarns and epic fantastic tales, we'll remember some stories which tell of someone coming across a message in a bottle on a remote or long-forgotten seashore. The plot might not always involve epic adventure or even candied merriment. Perhaps it involves a story of grief, forlorn hope and unfulfilled longings.

In any event, people are fascinated by the unknown; of being part of a discovery or a mystery. I think in this vessel of fascination, we can actively and creatively find a way to become purveyors of joy-making; to inspire other people to live more adventurously rather than in fear.

I can understand that the world has come to be a more cynical, jaded and suspicious place where we fear for our safety. We look upon strange and unexpected persons, events, objects with apprehension and concern, assuming that the intent is for us to be harmed rather than be enchanted. We assume that our destiny is to be underhandedly destroyed rather than to be truly charmed. That's understandable when we take a cold, desolate and ultra sober look at the dark side of humanity. But perhaps that's the heart of the problem. We forget about the beauty of humanity and what we can do in our daily lives to become examples of that.

The world needs more magic and imagination where society becomes art and art becomes society. Creating secret maps, concocting surprise messages and scattering sacred awesome gifts is a great way to spread a little of that magic.