The Gift of Making a Note to Yourself

I took this on a snowy walk in Locust Valley, New York. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Making a Note to Yourself

“Note to self: When things feel overwhelming, remember: One thought at a time, one task at a time and one day at a time.”

Unknown

Do you ever write a note to yourself on a particular day?

So that when you look back a little later you can say..

I really did follow through, even though I doubted myself in each and every way.

Leave a note for yourself to remind you of growth. 

Leave a note for yourself to show you your patience has expanded ten fold.

Write down a feeling you were feeling that particular day.

Leave a note of a task you thought you would never finish, give yourself a pat on the back that day.

Write your feelings, your joys, and your aches. 

Write your frustrations, your aspirations, and just shoot the breeze.

Let that note show you that you indeed did take things one day at a time.

When the day is long, tedious, and quite boring. 

Take out that note, read it, receive it and remember. 

That note could be the spark of graciousness that you needed for the day. 

It is easy to find all the bad circumstances in a situation, you don’t have to look that far. 

But that note could be the flicker of light that changes your attitude and heart. 

So write yourself a note. 

It doesn’t have to be long.

But that little note may just be what you needed to stay strong. 

Do you remember the notion of a diary that certain folks kept under lock and key?  Sometimes I believe that Social Media has become a diary of sorts.  If you ever had a diary did you write down how you were feeling that day or some hopes and dreams of what is to come in the future?  As life keeps whirling along, how rewarding would it be to look back in a month or six months at what we were feeling on a particular day.  Or even better, perhaps we could see if we actually accomplished something no matter how big or small. On an even deeper level I would say that writing a note to yourself is an act of learning.  You have heard folks say, “Let me look at my notes.” If you are at a particularly low point you can look at your notes and this can spur you on to more meaningful deeds.  Notes help you focus on the task at hand.  And if we are truly going through life trying to be a better version of ourselves then that note is of great importance.  Think of it as improving your personal and spiritual Grade Point Average.  It is a proven fact that folks who take notes know more. I ran across a meme recently that had, “Notes you can leave yourself” Some of the suggestions were: You are doing the best you can. You are worthy and lovable. It’s okay to ask for help. You are capable of amazing things. Your boundaries are important. Your feelings are valid. It is okay to try again. You are allowed to say no. Those are some completely viable notes or suggestions. When I started writing these Pensées, I prayed at length for a name. I knew I needed to start writing notes to deal with my kids growing up and leaving the nest. I have written about him before, but Blaise Pasacal the author of Pensées was indeed a note taker. That was the gist of his work. Thoughts. He wrote down his thoughts about life, he made notes to himself. Do you write down your thoughts? Do you write down your prayers? Do you write down your dreams? I would encourage you to do so. When I started writing about this particular topic I decided to do a little research. Did you know that those who take notes via longhand (ie, the old paper and pen) absorb more information than those who take digital notes? When the test came, those who took notes by hand performed a lot better than those who took those notes on a computer. There is a paper that is dedicated to this subject, it is called: The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard. Now, why do I mention this? Did you see? Those who take the time and write it down absorb more into their minds than those that don’t. If that is the case.. then by all means. Leave yourself a note! It will make a difference. When that test comes that tries your patience or will, you have a better chance of passing the test. I leave you with this wonderful quote: “If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King Jr. 

My books are on Amazon:

The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot

The Case of the Missing Honk Honk is live!

Coming soon:

The Case of the Missing Ornaments

Appalachian Allegory