GISHWHES

No, that's not a typo. It stands for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. I discovered GISHWHES when I joined twitter (@ConfidentVessel) and started following Misha Collins, who is a super cool human being. At first, I was skeptical, since you have to pay to enter and many of the challenges look completely ridiculous. However, then I kept digging.

First, GISHWHES benefits Random Acts. Second, many of the scavenger hunt items are acts of kindness, such as coats for the homeless, hugging a veteran, putting on a puppet show for hospitalized children, etc. Third, I realized that even the ridiculous items are important, for reasons detailed below.

Alright, how could doing yoga in ski gear or making a kilt of cucumber be important? Let me tell you. (I'll be focusing on the benefits of GISHWHES for those of us who struggle with mental illness, though these apply otherwise as well.)

1. Doing such ridiculous things requires that you cease judging yourself briefly.
2. Laughter is nearly guaranteed, and we all know that laughter is good for you!
3. You're encouraged to meet new people, but in a lighthearted, minimally threatening setting.
4. Taking chances is rewarded, even if things don't go perfectly.
5. Getting to know Misha Collins through the things he makes you do. And trust me, that's good for everybody's mental health.

So, I hope that, if you can afford to, you'll join me in the GISHWHES this year. If you can't afford to, stay tuned, because I'm sure I'll be posting requests for your help with some items! And, even if you don't participate, I will be encouraging you to do fun random things that week as well.

Here's to our health!