So. My plan today was to post an essay by a teen-age girl on her experiences of having their house flooded in June when Calgary’s two rivers ran amuck.

That was the plan but as often happens with plans, things go awry. In this case, technology took my computer on a side-trip to Ugly.

My computer did one of those crashie thingies and while I thought I had everything in order, the one thing still not working properly is the connection I need to get the file with her article in it off of my desktop.

Plan B. I’ll post it tomorrow.

That’s after I write a stickie note to myself to remind myself to get ‘the techie guy’ to give me instructions on how to fix the broken link.

I like stickie notes. I have a stack of them in many colours beside me on my desk. I have pads in drawers all over the house. By the phone. Affixed to the fridge. Everywhere.

They remind me to put the Glucosamine into Ellie’s food. To take my vitamins. To remember my lunch. To buy milk. To not forget the paperwork I need to take with me in the morning.

C.C. loves to remind me to write myself a note and stick it somewhere I won’t miss.

He knows how forgetful I can be.

Perhaps that’s why he’s always leaving me pink stickie heart notes?  🙂

On my pillow. When I open the lid of my laptop. In the fridge.

I find them all over the house, in surprising and not so obvious places.

They make me smile.

Feel warm inside.

Feel all mushie, and Loved.

Sometimes, the note is a simple, “I love you” message.

Sometimes, he writes something else more telling of how he feels about me.

No matter what he writes, his notes warm my heart. They lift my spirits. They make me feel… happy.

Apparently, telling someone you love the things you love about them, or why you love them is not only a surefire way to lift their spirits — it lifts yours too.

In a study for The Science of Happiness — an experiment in gratitude, researchers invited people to share about someone who touched their life and made them feel grateful for their presence. Afterwards, they asked them to write a letter — and then, to read the letter over the phone to that person.

What they found was that happiness rose for everyone — but the people who walked in feeling the most unhappy were the ones who had the greatest percentage increase in their sense of well-being and happiness after the exercise.

So… when you’re feeling blue. Do something to connect you to people who make you feel good about yourself! Show your gratitude and lift your spirits.

Such a simple way to lift yourself out of the doldrums. Such an easy step to take away from darkness into the light.

It makes sense.

When I’m feeling down my head is usually telling me stories about why I am unworthy.

Don’t believe everything you think.

To get out of negative thinking,  take action in the opposite direction.

Enlist gratitude to connect you to the positive.

Yup.

I like it.

Now, what colour of stickie note should I write the reminder on so that I remember to write a note to someone I love.

Wait! I don’t have to remind myself. I just have to do it!

But… I will write myself a stickie note to remember to put Alex’s essay on a shuttle stick so I can post it tomorrow!

**************************************

Give yourself a 7  min spa for the soul — here’s the video from The Science of Happiness.

that’s right. Don’t just write it. Read it aloud.