Do you remember the first box you planted? The excitement of waiting for the first finder...checking it regularly to see if it had been found? My kids were so excited on the day that we discovered that someone had (finally) found our box. That anticipation is one of the reasons we try to find people's first boxes.
Today we found someone's first. It brought back some memories. It made me wonder if we could teleport back in time what advice I would give the just-planting-for-the-first-time us.
- Be more selective in your locations. Really think about the finders' experiences. Why are you leading them to this spot? And, is this really the best hiding spot you can find for this box? Are you sure?
- Not everyone will appreciate your efforts. Drive-by boxes and those without a twist to the clues get a lot more action. BUT, go ahead, plant what you love and don't worry about how many finders the box gets. Some people will really love the boxes you do create and you'll come to appreciate planting just for those finders.
- Try to picture this box in all four seasons. Will winter's bareness expose it? Will summer's brambles make it impossible to find? Will the falling leaves obscure the hiding place? What happens when the park is full of kids scrambling around or maintenance workers pulling weeds?
- Don't worry so much about if your efforts are good enough. Realize that most people prefer a bad hand-carved stamp to a fancy store-bought one. So what if the carving's not very good compared to others you've found. You'll get lots better, I promise. And you'll always treasure that first carve.
- Understand that it may go missing. You plant a box, you take a chance. It's still worth it.
Mushroom Man shows off a tadpole he caught barehanded. Don't worry. He released it. 
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