DUNEDIN, Fla. — For Daynie Rain, a broken heart was a beautiful blessing.
The 19-year-old used a toxic relationship as a cathartic catalyst, launching the "Love Letters Mailbox" movement to process her pain by taking pen to paper.
"I just needed to get out of this rut," she said. "Honestly, I didn't expect it to be more than that one mailbox in Belleair."
Her first Love Letters Mailbox? Hallett Park in Belleair. After leaving a couple of notes about her ex inside — she invited others to follow, offering notebooks and pens.
They didn't have to be breakup letters. They could be notes about love lost and found, notes about favorite people, pets and places. There are no rules.
The people responded — and then some. Notebooks filled up with sentiment, with the people of Tampa Bay having a lot of love to give.
Rain then scattered another 11 mystery mailboxes across the Tampa Bay area and two more in St. Augustine. Finding a mailbox is not unlike an urban scavenger hunt or geocaching.
For the locations of all Rain's Love Letters Mailboxes, click here.
"One thing I've learned from this is that people just want to be listened to, to be heard," she said.
Next up? Rain plans to take the Love Letters Mailboxes nationwide and maybe even publish a book one day.
"The way it's grown just blows my mind," she said. "It's really beautiful to think this grew from heartache."
