Gratitude Letter #6

Shout-out to Arthur Fry & His Magic Post-it

thanks, arthur fry, for making post-its. i use this post-it pad for my to-do list every day.

This may come as somewhat of a shock, but Romy and Michelle did not invent the Post-it note. It was actually a dude named Arthur Fry, who was working for 3M and trying to develop a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he stumbled upon the sticky note. The rest is history (and hung up all around my house).

I am sure that Artie Fry really had no clue how big of a deal his little Post-it note would be when he accidentally invented it. But, more than any other office supply, the Post-it note plays a huge role in my daily life. As I write this, I’m staring at a huge Post-it note grid affixed to my kitchen wall that is made up of affirmations, compliments and some of my favorite quotes. It’s a daily reminder of my strength, beauty, humor and love — all on pink and neon greenish yellow Post-its.

My Post-it wall. (Among my favorites: top left-hand corner, in yellow//green, compliment from ACA, “Lisa, you MOTHERFUCKING QUEEN.”)

And Post-its have always been a staple in my every day life: my mother, from whom I got my predilection for lists, has these sticky notes littering her bathroom mirror and counter tops and lining the inside of drawers. Little reminders of things to do, books to read, people to pray for. There’s something about the easy convenience of the Post-it that makes it the perfect place to capture almost anything.

I must’ve received hundreds of Post-its from one boyfriend, all proclaiming his love. Sadly, our relationship lost its spark much like how a Post-it eventually loses its adhesive.

I even had a boyfriend who professed his love using Post-its. He, like me and my mother, used them constantly. Actually, the two of us living together was a bit ridiculous — reminders to smile, to do good and our grocery lists dotted every available surface in our home. But the Post-its that really made me smile more than the one actually reminding me to do so were the ones he left for me — snuck into every pocket of my suitcase during a trip, in my purse to find whenever I happened to dig for change, on the door frame for me to see as I walked in. I still smile when I find a old, worn, Post-it in my purse now. And leave them there, as a reminder to smile the next time I find it.*

Others have expressed their love and fondness via Post-its too, although not as explicitly as writing “I ❤ you” like my boyfriend, but in other smaller ways. Like my mom — er — Santa — buying me fun shaped Post-its every year as a stocking stuffer, or the office manager who smuggled me like 15 Post-it pads in every shape and shade of pink when I came back to my old job. It’s weird, but I have lots of great memories attached to these little pieces of colored, sticky paper.

So, thank you, Arthur Fry, for making such an amazing mistake. I’m not sure if you ever figured out how to make that super-strong adhesive, but I can assure you that what you made instead is pretty powerful, too.

*Side note: I just thought, how much better would this story have been if the first time he told me he loved me was on a Post-it? (It wasn’t. We were in a fight, long distance, on the phone and I was in CVS.) Or if he asked me to marry him on a Post-it? (He didn’t, he asked me to move out of his house instead. Not on a Post-it, though. We all saw Sex and the City, men know better now, BERGER!)