That Time I Left Uplifting Notes For Strangers Around The City

Making the day of people I’ll probably never meet

One morning, about 3 months ago, I woke up wanting to make somebody’s day.

Okay, maybe not just one person, but as many people as I could possibly reach.

As great as the internet is in connecting people together, I wanted to help people in real life too. By help, I don’t mean giving money to those in need (which I try to do as often as I can), but touch them on a spiritual level, even momentarily.

I was living on my own in my college dorm when the idea struck me. Why don’t I leave notes around the city for strangers? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? I probably won’t meet those people, and neither will they know me.

And so, I went ahead with my plan. I picked up the little post-it notes standing on my study desk and started to write little phrases on them. I didn’t know what to write at first, because there’s a million things you could possibly say to a stranger.

I knew that what I wanted to write had to be encouraging. I wanted the potential person who would come across my note to feel as though it was a sign of something much bigger, especially if they were on the look for it.

While I can’t remember exactly what I had written down, I know that the words went somewhere along these lines:

Dear stranger,

Keep doing what you do and being who you are. The world needs you more than you may think.

With love,

A fellow stranger

After writing this down on a few notes, I placed them in my bag and began to head for the city.

Now the question was, where would I leave them?

The first places that came to mind were the local parks. One was next to my university, and the other was located in the heart of the city.

The first stop was the park by my university, also known as The Common.

As I strolled and took in the fresh scenery, I tried to decide where to leave my notes.

The park was filled with people of all kinds. Individuals on their morning jog, families pushing their babies’ strollers, older couples walking hand in hand. There were also those who were busy taking part in conversations with each other as they sat on benches.

Everyone (most people, anyway) were busy appreciating nature and their surroundings.

So, admittedly, it was a bit challenging to find a spot I could leave a note in without anybody seeing me. Now, you may be wondering. Why did I not want anyone to see what I was doing?

Well, what I was doing at that moment felt a lot like how Santa Claus must feel when leaving gifts for children.

It was something I wanted to do simply for the sake of doing it, and not being recognized for doing it. Writing about it a while after it happened feels better than boasting about it during or right after doing it.

Waiting for a moment when there was no one else around, at a close proximity at least, I headed to an empty bench and sat there for a second. Then I took out one of my notes, making sure no one was actively watching me, and placed it somewhere in between the bench’s seat.

I would peek at the note I’d just left, wish that it reached someone who needed to find it and read those words, and then leave.

I proceeded to do this in another park in the city as well. Same process, but this time with a bit more caution as there were even more people to be aware of potentially seeing me.

Once I was done, I still had a few notes that I wanted to distribute, but couldn’t think of a good place to do so. Obviously, leaving them on a random road, or in a random building wouldn’t be the safest, since they could easily fly away, be thrown or stepped on.

I was concerned they would get lost in the parks as well, but I made sure they were placed in the benches or tables firmly.

As I took the bus on my way back home, I thought it wouldn’t hurt if I left my remaining notes for anyone to find there. I left them in between the seats, where they were bound to be picked up by anyone who would choose to sit there.

As I left those last pieces in the bus, I thought about how finding a note from a stranger while you’re on your daily commute should be a special treat. I wanted to, and was glad to be a part of making someone’s day so memorable.

While leaving notes for strangers isn’t something unheard of, it certainly isn’t something that is done every day. The thought of talking to a stranger or even smiling at them is overwhelming, let alone giving them a whole note that speak to them so directly.

In our everyday lives, we’re not surprised to see and hear about people leaving notes to strangers that don’t necessarily make their day, such as notes of complaint, or parking tickets telling them they’ve done something wrong.

So why should we be surprised to hear about notes that are given to purposefully make someone’s day? Kindness is rare, but we will never run out of it.

In a world that is used to competition and dragging one another down, encouragement and co-operation should be at the top of our priorities, don’t you think?

Coming up with ways to promote love, kindness, and unity is incredibly fun, especially when you know you are making the day of someone you won’t necessarily meet. For there is an unspoken bond between strangers we come across — short-lived encounters that are packed with immeasurable possibilities.

I’m glad to be in a position to be able to take advantage of one such possibility— that of making a stranger pause and smile, forgetting about their troubles and inviting them to consider life as the magical journey we are on together — even for a brief moment. Because it makes my day, too.

Thank you so much for reading.

Have you ever left a note for a stranger, or did something similar? Would you be willing to try it? Let me know!

P.S. If you’re a writer who loves to explore vulnerable and spiritual topics, make sure to check out my publication, Soul Craft, and consider becoming a writer for it! I’d love to have you on board. :)

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