I’ve long had an issue with giving and reviving greeting cards for special occasions. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sentiment involved and enjoy a really well designed one, but I’m never quite sure what to do with them after you have read them. Do you put them in a keepsake box? Do you scan them? Put them in a drawer? Throwing them away always felt wrong, somehow. But they otherwise just kind of hang around or go into a drawer and then are forgotten which also seemed wrong to me.
Then, online somewhere (sorry, I don’t remember where) someone floated this idea: Instead of trading cards with a significant other, why not write messages back and forth to each other in a notebook. I loved the idea. To me, a notebook for this purpose seemed much more meaningful, long lasting, provided greater flexibility, and the chance that one would go back over past occasions to read and reminisce was far greater.
My wife and I have been doing this for about a year now and it has turned out really great. Every time I go to write in it I take the time to browse past entries and it always puts a smile on my face and reminds me to be thankful for the love I receive from her. Thus, past sentiment remains presently rewarding.
I share this in the hopes that it’s a tradition others might consider and be rewarded by. Valentines Day seems the perfect place to start.
