On February 14th I woke up, got breakfast, and walked to class how I would every day to my eight o’clock class; Zombie-esque. Little did I know that there were little surprises around campus that were placed to make my day on various poles, stairwells, and doors around campus. But, if my friend had not pointed them out to me when we were leaving our first class, I probably would’ve never noticed them.
Now, I’m not talking about love notes or a secret scavenger hunt someone created for me. I’m talking about sticky notes. That’s right, sticky notes. The night before Valentine’s Day someone had gone around campus and stuck all of these sticky notes in spontaneous places for people to see. The little notes include things like “Live your best life”, “I love you berry much”, and funny puns such as “what did one light bulb say to the other? I love you a watt.” Not only did they make me smile, but they also reminded me that I don’t need to stress out about my life. This is important for me to remind myself of sometimes because I know, often times like you guys too, I stress myself out over small minuscule things that aren’t worth my time.
These little random acts of kindness came at a perfect time too. Not only was it Valentine’s Day, February is also self-love month. Self-love is something that is so often forgotten and neglected by society, it’s no wonder that we have so many mental and health problems that arise. This is especially true for college campuses when we skip meals for our diets or stay up all night and risk our sleep just for a test. Often times we think we’re doing the right thing and success will come out of our neglect, but we often forgo other important factors in our life. I know sometimes I find I have sacrificed important aspects like sleep, nutrition, or physical fitness just for a grade or the way I want to look physically. Walking around and looking at these notes I reminded myself that it’s okay to smile and spending time in my friend’s room when I could be studying was okay every so often because, even though I denied it, I knew I needed that break.
That doesn’t mean I should spend every night out with friends or stay up late studying 24/7, but it’s about learning a balance that is right for your body. Find time during your day to take a minute to yourself and to study. Make sure you’re eating healthy, but allow yourself to indulge in some ice cream from the 55’ Exchange every so often. Workout, but make sure you’re also eating enough. And, most importantly, remember to laugh and smile because today is the only today you’ll have. God doesn’t give us repeats.
These little sticky notes reminded me of this last Wednesday and here I am a week later reminding you. From the time I saw the first sticky note to now, I have felt 100% different. I remind myself to smile and to not to be so hard on myself for making mistakes. I challenged myself to making sure I had enough self-love in my life and now I’m challenging you. Make February your month. Thrive knowing that someone loves you “berry” much and to live your best life because, in all honesty, that’s the only life worth living.