Jars of Positivity

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Positive outlooks sometimes don’t come easily or naturally. Sometimes they aren’t readily visible. With our lives often hectic, looking for the bright side is like looking for a dolphin in the Sahara. We’re too busy. We’re too frustrated. We believe there is no bright side. Regardless of what we believe, there’s always a bright side. It may not be as bright as we want it, but it’s there. We just need to find those calm, brief moments to understand the positives in that situation. 

One way we found to help us find the positives was to leave each other secret notes. They were short – whatever could be written on a 2 inch by 3 inch post it note. A couple years ago DW set up 4 small, glass vials on the living room window sill. On each one was a letter respresenting each of the four family members. Also by the window was a pen and a pile of small post it notes. The idea was that we could write each other little notes at random and leave them in the jar for the family member to discoer and read. After reading them we’d place them in a bucket to keep for later. The jars were there for quite a while, maybe six months, and we accumulated a buckful of positives. For a year after we stopped writing, our secret notes sat in the small bucket behind the TV. During tonight’s run in the snow it came to me that I should take a look back and see what we wrote. I also thought I’d like to share them with you. 

  • You are loved XOXOXO
  • We love you because you helped build the park and give back scratches and I give her hugs
  • Thank you for filling the peanut feeder and keeping our crows, blue jays and grackles fed.
  • Santa loved your turkey soup!
  • I love you
  • You are the best mom ever!
  • I love the mudder cuz she builds a track with me and I love her wiff her glasses adn earrings on and I love so so much in all the world and I put my earrings on like the mother. And I actually snuggle her.
  • Santa was wondering if you could give him a push or two if he gets stuck when he comes on Christmas Eve. 
  • Love you lots- millions and billions to infinity and beyond! XOXOXO
  • Great job on your first day of school!
  • Even though you drive me crazy, I am thankful for you. Luboo millions xoxo Wifey
  • Thanks for getting the car sold!
  • You have a cute bum. Can I grab it?
  • You are mama’s awesome little helper!
  • Happy birthday Dad!
  • Santa was really happy to hear how well you played with your brother after school yesterday.
  • Have an awesome 8th birthday! Love you!
  • Luboo millions and billions! XOXOXOXO
  • Even though you drive me crazy, I am thankful for you. XOXO Mom
  • I love you!
  • I only drive you crazy because I love you. Happy turkey day!
  • Mrs. Claus thanks you for your cookie recipe. She is making some right now!
  • You are loved. XOXO
  • Mom, I love your boobies. They’re so cute. (from the then 3 year old)
  • Santa is really happy to hear that you aren’t stomping and screaming
  • Happy birthday to my hubband. I don’t say it enough (out loud) but I am grateful that we have you in our lives. Love you more!
  • Is the weather good for fishing? (refrence to “Number the Stars by Lous Lowry)
  • You have a cute bum! Love you- have a good day!
  • I love you XOXO Capten Mims
  • Thank you for my first day of work flowers and for cleaning the house and making supper while I’m gone and still lubbing me after 10 years even though I’m fat! Luboo millions xoxoxoxo
  • n Iaokd iiHaK (the 3 year old wrote his own note)
  • Happy 4th birthday my baby boy!
  • I love you!
  • Great job telling truth about breaking your cousin’s sword. Now we will work on replacing it. Proud of your bravery xoxo mom
  • Happy 10 year lover! XOXO luboo millions and billions
  • I love you. You’re my best boyfriend and my best brother and I like him to play trains (Bang to Crash scribed by Mom)
  • I like when we go in the zipper and we bounce on the tramperline wiff us and wiff daddy (by the 3 year old)
  • Happy Halloween! (fr:Crash)
  • Happy grading day! On to grade 3  – way to go! XOXO
  • Thank you for great notes from school. Keep it up! 
  • Great job listening and getting ready for school this morning when asked to get ready. Love you! XOXO
  • Great job mowing the lawn – it makes us happy when you help around the house!
  • I love Dad and he builds a track and plays trains with me and I love him so so much all the world, Love from Bang
  • Thank you for feeding my flowers and watering them. Luboo millions XOXO

    Whoo! I got this post written and published before midnight! (I still have 4 minutes to go)

    15 thoughts on “Jars of Positivity”

    2. We all need to our own jars of positivity! Awesome inspiration, Eric! And so easy to implement. All the smiles you get after reading each of those. 🙂

      Btw, a little typo spotted on the word “regardless”, 7th sentence.

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      • It’s very easy to set up. You don’t even need to use jars. You can use whatever container you have laying around the house, so long as each family member has their own. And some paper to write the notes… I was all smiles while reading them and typing them last night! Thanks for spotting the typo. My tablet doens’t have spell check and I pretty much suck at spelling… I’ll get it fixed.

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        • Absolutely. No reason not to do as it’s so easy..apart from of course, procrastinating. :p
          You are most welcome, Eric! Sometimes I wish people tell me about my typos more too! Grammarly and Spell checks do fail sometimes.

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      • Thanks. We are about to start it back up. I found the four jars that we used last time. Now I just need to find the little post it notes (or cut up some small slivers of paper). It’s so much fun to go back read what we wrote.

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