11- Jenna K: notes on the bathroom mirror

Sticky notes. They are simply a pad of 3x3” multicolored paper with a sticky film on the back of them, yet we manage to find so many different uses for them. I myself have used them to annotate books, write myself little reminders, leave notes in my friends’ lockers, and even cover a teacher’s classroom with them for April Fool’s Day. My favorite sticky notes, however, will always come from my mom. For as long as I can remember, my mom has woken up at the crack of dawn to get her morning walk and errands done early so that she can be home in time to spend the day with her family. Due to the fact that she is normally still gone by the time I wake up, she has always left me a little note every morning explaining to me exactly where she was, when she’ll be back, and any other useful information I need to know. She finishes off every note by telling me she loves me and leaving her signature stick figure that she draws after every birthday card, letter, or note. My mom originally left these notes on a little whiteboard I used to have, but in the past two years or so she has transitioned into using a pad of sticky notes. She always leaves these notes on my bathroom mirror so that I’m sure to see them as soon as I wake up and use the bathroom. During quarantine when I was staying up until 4am every morning, I used to wait until she fell asleep and then I would write her a message telling her good morning and to have a good day, so that when she went to leave me one, she would have a surprise waiting for her. It’s become part of my routine to wake up, go to the bathroom, and see my mom's morning note. During online school when I was feeling really down all of the time, she would get extra sneaky and leave a sticky note inside my laptop so that when I opened it up to start class, I would find an encouraging message. I don’t think my mom knows this, but I have saved every single sticky note she has left for me in the past two years. They sit in a little box on a cabinet in my bathroom, and every morning when I see that she has left me a new one, I add it to my collection. I could never imagine throwing any of them away. It’s crazy how such an insignificant object can have so much meaning to you, but it’s the thought behind it that gives it its value. Word count:450