Write a Nice Letter and Leave it in a Book for a Stranger to Find

I first learned of this idea on a “Kind Acts” suggestion page on Google. Afterward, I experienced the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon — when you hear of something once and afterward, it seems as if you keep hearing about it — when multiple readers told me they already did or want to follow through with this idea.

As an English major, who absolutely loves to read and considers spending hours in “Barnes & Noble” to be heaven, I found the idea of leaving a nice note in a book for a stranger to find ideal.

I’d been putting this one off for a bit because I didn’t know what to say in the note or what book I would leave it in. Then the other day, I decided to just go for it; one of my all-time favorite books is “Wuthering Heights,” so I figured I would personalize the note toward that book, grabbed a pink piece of paper and, once I started writing, began rambling on for nearly a full page.  You guys can read this sporadic rant in the photos above.

I folded up the note, brought it with me, and after I went to buy flowers for another bucket list project, decided to stop at Barnes & Noble, where I carried out the task. I asked a worker where I could find a copy of Wuthering Heights and she directed me to the classics section.

It’s funny how sometimes when trying to do a nice thing, you feel sneaky or like a thief. I grabbed the book and walked down one of the aisles where no one seemed to be hanging out, so a store clerk wouldn’t wonder why the heck I was slipping a piece of paper that might be litter into a book.

Unfortunately, some forethought might have been better, but because I’m a put-the-circle-in-the-square kind of girl, I didn’t consider how I should’ve written the note on a much smaller piece of paper that didn’t need to be folded. While I tried to fold it as best I could, so someone wouldn’t notice when buying or selling the book, it was so big that it still stuck out a bit.

Even so, I figured that if a store clerk finds it, all he or she can do is think it’s a nice idea and maybe keep the note for himself or herself, unless it gets thrown out first. Still, I hope to continue writing these notes in the future, maybe for some books at the school library, as I think it’s a nice concept; at least I know I would enjoy finding a nice note in a library or store-bought book.

So has anyone else done something similar or want to add this one to his or her bucket list? I’d love to hear from you guys!

And just a reminder that there’s currently an August Giveaway going on, so please check it out if you want to enter to win fun prizes!