PostSecrets!

I'm not sure how I first stumbled upon www.postsecrets.com. It could be from my friend Hannah who would randomly send an e-mail from that website, but I never really understood the concept. This summer I began to really get hooked and would get up Sunday morning to read them.

When I found out that Frank Warren, founder of PostSecrets, was coming to St. Louis I planned it on my calendar and was determined to go. I had no doubts when I got up this morning about going and I'm so glad I did.

I got to UMSL around 5:15 and Eric met me shortly thereafter. We ate dinner on the ground floor of the Millennium Center and then went to the third floor met by now a huge line of people. I regretted that I didn't start a line when I first got there thinking that I had plenty of time.

Luckily Eric still had his old UMSL ID and got us in as if he was a student. We got seats towards the front and waited over an hour for Frank Warren to come out to talk to us. I was so mad that I left my PostSecret book and camera at home!

His mission of the project inspired me and makes me want to go back to Life Crisis to volunteer. I have to re-evaluate whether or not I can make a commitment to go back answering phone calls from people who are lonely, sad, have serious life problems, or thoughts of suicide.

Part of Frank's time we listened to secrets or questions from people in the audience. Some revealed some funny moments in their lives and others revealed real difficulties they were working through. I was so moved and I know I wasn't the only one brought to tears. I learned some really interesting facts: The producers of the video "Dirty Little Secrets" donated $2,000 to 1-800-SUICIDE if they could use the postcards from PostSecrets and Frank Warren has his own company that he still has and PostSecrets was really a project for him because his job was so monotonous. Plus his mail carrier, Kathy, requested Frank to get a bigger mailbox!

Part of the reason why I never went into true counseling was because during my internships and practicum I began to felt burnt out. I carried the burden of the secrets people would tell me and felt that I never made an impact on their life. I also didn't feel confident that I would make a good counselor, despite all the role-plays I did where I was commended for the skills I used and the words I chose.

I feel that Frank Warren is a counselor within and he may not know it. He has that soothing, calm voice that makes everything seem okay even when someone has revealed a very hurtful secret.

One counseling experience I will NEVER forget was when I worked on the Crisis Hotline and a man called and told me about how he lost his job because he had a mental illness and lost everything he had. He didn't want to use services or rely on his parents. I didn't know what to say and everything I said to inspire hope only made him angrier. So when I was lost for words I told the man, "I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like your life really does suck." I braced myself to get yelled at, but surprised to hear him thank me for understanding how he felt.

I hope that all of you have someone to share your secrets with. I really agree with Frank, it only allows us to connect on a more intimate level.