There's something to be said about paper ...

A while back, I switched to a paper calendar rather than the calendar on my phone. I blogged about how I felt about that switch at the time. There’s a whole other aspect to this that I hadn’t even realized until recently. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a fantastic memory. I never needed a calendar for anything; I would just remember everything that was coming up for me. For the longest time, I couldn’t remember a thing. I thought it was because I had kids and I was keeping track of more than one schedule. I have to say that ever since I’ve been writing things down, I remember everything again. There’s something to be said about using a pen and paper and how that gets imprinted on the brain.

A pen and paper …

I’ve always thought that there are great benefits to technology. I feel things like writing essays or books may actually be easier if written on a computer because of spell and grammar checks. However, there is something to be said about using your hand to pen something that is heartfelt. I love journaling as a guide to my inner thoughts. When I journal, I always hand write what it is that I’m feeling. I notice that if I’m feeling blue, then even my handwriting has a different look to it than when I am feeling bubbly and great.

I love Mandalas as a tool for meditation as well. Mandalas are beautiful drawings that are colored with coloring pencils. They are in the shape of a circle and while you are coloring, you are also going within. They are fantastic. It’s amazing when people color them in my meditation classes how much they get out of the exercise of coloring for 20 minutes. Now, after my calendar experience, I feel that the benefits of mandalas are also due to the contact with paper.

Handwritten notes

I love getting handwritten thank you notes. I will sometimes keep them to read over and over if the message was a heart-warming one. I will always praise the person who emails holiday cards or thank you notes if they are doing that to be eco-friendly, but I still love getting a handwritten note. I feel that contact with paper is tremendous for me. I always handwrite my thank you notes. I make myself a great cup of tea and truly enjoy the process. When I’m done with the stack, I have such a great feeling of accomplishment.

Wrapping paper

We are in the process of launching a Sally Foster fundraising campaign at school. There are so many debates going on as to whether that’s a true representation of our school and whether it’s eco-friendly and so on. I am extremely eco-friendly, but I have to say that I love wrapping paper. I especially love pretty wrapping paper. I love wrapping a gift for someone; it’s like my little stamp of love on it.

Your thoughts ... I'd love to hear them

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com

Off to fill my new calendar that just came in the mail. It’s so pretty with beach images on every page!
Mary