Postcards

I don't remember exactly where I got this idea, but I think it comes from a book project I read about in a magazine a few years back. If someone finds a link to it, please shoot me an email. It's enough to say that it's not an original idea, just a project I've been wanting to do for some time, but can't afford just yet.

The basic idea for this project stems from the butterfly effect in chaos theory, that the flapping of butterfly's wings might ultimately lead to a tornado appearing miles away. It's the idea that the tiniest action can cause a ripple effect leading to big results. In this application, we're looking to cause one person to smile, which causes another to smile, and another, and so on - leading to a viral goodness that goes on and on. It doesn't take a system's theorist to realize that if someone cuts you off on the way to work, the chances of you having a good day are slimmed, and that your bad day is infectious to those around you. This is meant to counteract that.

It's a five dollar bill and a self-addressed stamped postcard left in a phone booth, on a park bench, a bathroom stall, or tacked to the community bulletin board at the grocery store. The card reads, "Smile, you're five dollars richer. Blow it on whatever you want but please drop a note to let us know how it goes." I want to put 100 - 200 of these around town in the oddest of places. Part of it is to brighten people's day, the other part is to just do something odd. It's not an easter egg hunt. They'll be conspicuous. The idea, though, is to go for the unexpected.

Imagine sitting on the bench at a bus stop and noticing a five dollar bill and postcard next to you. What would you spend it on? I'd probably consider it a good fortune and buy five scratch off lottery tickets myself. Then again, you are at a bus stop. Bus fare maybe? Cappucino? A magazine? Taco Bell? Five dollars doesn't go very far these days, but hopefully it's enough to buy a smile.

I don't know. That's the idea behind the postcards. I'd love to hear how it's actually spent, or what effect it causes. It's worth the five hundred to a thousand dollars to find out. The article I recall getting this idea from was about collecting these stories and compiling them into a book. They put out thousands of these bill/postcard combos. I can't afford their budget, but when I have a grand to blow, I'm definitely doing this. Maybe I'll post the responses I get back to a blog or something. Even if I don't get anything back, that's fine too. I'm fairly confident that it'll brighten someone's day, and who can put a real price tag on that? Five bucks butterfly effect might be worth billions in good moods.