About a fortnight ago I mailed out fifteen packets. Five were returned. One packet came back repeatedly after three separate attempts.

Volunteers are placing them so I am not sure what has caused the recent scarcity of returns. My friend Mica in NYC told me she planned to place post-it notes on the postcards informing people it was “art, not trash”. Mim told me she watched someone pick up a postcard she had placed and put it in the trash. When Mim approached this person she asked them, “You don’t want to play along?” To which the person just shrugged and walked away.

There’s no telling what fate the postcards have encountered. Some have been returned after spending months in the possession of a Lucky Stranger. One was placed in March and wasn’t discovered and returned until May.

Placing and mailing out packets totaling somewhere around 3,000 and returns of 150, results in a 5% return rate! That’s twice the average return rate of direct mail and these are placed out in the world for anyone to discover, not in anyone’s specific mailbox.

I remain optimistic. This is a labor of love. Perhaps it will gain more traction. Word may spread about the possibility of finding a “return2me” rare gem. While that would be dandy, I do all of this to spread joy. I hope to make a heart-felt, chance connection with you that also brings some beauty into this world.