Today’s post is going to be a little different as I took inspiration from an unexpected place. When you hear the word “Mystery” what do you think of? Some of us may think of the “who done it?” genre of movies and novels. That is where my mind immediately jumps to as well, but there is a lot to be said about mysteries. When you are first getting to know a person they are, in a sense, a mystery to you. You do not know their favorite food, childhood memories, emotions or feelings. But what about once that mystery is gone? I think in most cases that is a good thing. Today I want to dive into the topic of mysteries a little more.

So, where did this random topic come from you may be wondering? Well you might find it a little funny, but I was just casually scrolling though some news headlines when I saw an article about the street artist Bansky. I am not going to go too much into him, but for the sake of this post I will say that he works completely inconspicuously. No one, other than some very close people to him maybe, knows what he looks like or who he truly is. I first heard about him when he created this massive mock theme park, some might say a spoof on Disneyland, called Dismaland. Dark and different art has always caught my attention, so I was immediately intrigued, and the mystery of who this artist truly is only added to that. Every time he pops up in the news (like a few years ago when his painting that sold for over one million dollars immediately started to shred itself) I am intrigued all over again. The mystery behind who this artist truly is part of the allure.

We come across new mysteries all the time in our lives. When you meet someone new, as I mentioned in my intro, they essentially are a mystery to you. You chip away at that mystery bit by bit until one day they are your friend, lover, mentor, etc. Sometimes the ending to that mystery is you find you are just not compatible human beings and need to move on from each other. Other times as you peel back all of those layers on someone you find out just how wonderful they are and you cannot wait to have them in your life forever. Part of the fun of getting to know someone new is deciphering that mystery and seeing what truly lives behind the masks all of us seem to put on to people we do not know. 

What about when the mystery is gone though? I think in some cases the unknown is what adds so much to the allure of things. I understand why some people write or create art under different names or keep their identity secret like Bansky. When someone keeps themselves a secret like that you as the consumer can imagine they are anyone you could possibly imagine. Maybe you picture them looking just like you, or you even imagine them being one of the most handsome men you've ever seen. If a time came that the person did in fact reveal themselves and it didn't meet their expectations you might be completely turned off from their work completely. By having that mystery it takes them out of the equation and you can solely focus on their work. Meeting someone online can have the same effect in a sense, if you do not know what each other looks like at first, you can focus on just getting to know each other's should rather than possible writing someone off at first glance.

Overall I say that a little mystery in life never hurt anyone. Sometimes they can be fun and add a little spice to life. There wouldn't be so many successful mystery movies and books if people did not love the thrill of trying to find out who a fictional killer is while watching a mystery movie. My whole point in writing on this topic is to tell you to embrace it. Life is always a little fun with a little mystery added in. I recently read a book of poems by a poet that keeps their identity a secret and I personally loved it. I wondered who was behind these love poems and even who may have inspired them. I found that pretty fun to consider as I read them. So have fun in your life solving the mysteries you can, and embrace the ones you can't.