Have I mentioned before the little notes that my child used to leave me in my office? The tokens of love and appreciation. The sweet jokes. The reminders of their passing through. Maybe instead of saying the little notes they used to leave me, I should make it present tense – the little notes they leave me – on the hopes that when they’re home for the summer, I might get more.
I’d be sitting at my desk and realize that there was a new sticky hanging on the wall or the window, or nestled between the papers in front of me. “I love my amazing writer Mommy,” it might say. Or a simple “Mommy rocks.” And my favorite – the to-do pad that lists a sequence of important tasks such as: give my favorite child EVER a hug, make them brownies, stop doing work and eat blueberries, make tea NOT when they’re about to finish practice, and smile.
So I created my window of love. I am a person who likes constant reminders of what I want to remember and focus upon. I’m a visual learner and therefore like visual prompts. I like to see things to know that they’re real. So each little sticky – each note of love, each sweet chiding to think more about my child and to do more for them – has been saved and placed thoughtfully on the windows and walls next to my desk. I’ve created a sort of shrine with these mementos.
Because now I get to look at them and remember, to glance over and smile. Each time I see them, I consciously read them again and feel love pouring through me. I may not notice them all the time, but when I do – when I intentionally focus on them – it’s as if I’ve just discovered the note, hidden amongst my papers or hanging on the wall amidst the older notes. I sense my child sitting at my desk, thinking through what would make me smile when I read it, and leaving me another message. My heart grins.
I am a visual person. I do like constant reminders. I know that without prompting, my brain can forget the things I want it to remember and go to places I don’t necessarily want it to go. My window of love seems like such a simple solution. By sticking the notes where they’re bound to catch my eye on a daily basis, whether I intentionally focus on them or simply see them in my peripheral vision, I have built a pause into my day. I’ve solidified an opportunity to notice and call out the good things in my life. I have set up a automatic reminder system for the things that really matter to me.
So, I have a window of love. Very few people see my office, and it therefore doesn’t matter what I hang there. But even if it did, even if numerous clients could observe – and judge – how I’ve decorated my space, I would hang my notes and create my window. Because it’s made my space a sacred space. It’s set me up to succeed by offering me reminders of what I want to be reminded about. It’s given me an excuse to stop every day, maybe numerous times a day, to choose my point of focus and remember and smile.
I love my window of love.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!