This weekend I went to a surprise 80th birthday party! I have not been to many surprise parties but this was amazing!!!

Watching Joy, the birthday girl, open the door and realize that 30 of her friends and families were smiling back at her was magic. Slowly she scanned the room and her smile got bigger and bigger. Tears began to fill her eyes and her hands covered her mouth. It was pure happiness on her face.

This moment created a memory for her and all of us in the room. The day we came together to celebrate her 80 years of life. What a milestone!

Earlier last week my cousin passed away. He was 90 years old. While it is always sad when a loved one passed, there was some peace in knowing he lived a wonderful life.

Over the weekend, I also spent some time with my dad cleaning out my cousin’s apartment. There were tears shed, stories shared, and memories uncovered. We grew up spending holidays together and I can remember spending weekends at his home.

My most vivid memory of my cousin Donny is him putting whip cream on his nose and mine. Any time we had dessert together, he would put his finger in the whip cream and place a dollop on my nose. The rest went on his nose.

Now, I have to share that Donny was a very proper man. He liked things neat and tidy. He stuck to his routine. So part of what made these moments so memorable was that they were out of character and as a child, it always surprised me.

The combination of these 2 events in one weekend have me thinking about making memories. Some moments we know we are making a memory, like a big surprise party. Some moments we have no idea, like taking whip cream and placing it on someone’s nose.

I want to make sure I am intentionally creating good memories for those around me!

This means that I need to make sure to take care of my mental health, so that I have patience and capacity to bring in magical moments that lead to memories. This also means that I need to remember to create magical moments.

It has me thinking, what are the things that I currently do that I want to make sure I continue?

My mom hands out smiley face stickers. She keeps them in her purse and hands them out as random acts of kindness. Sometimes to the cashier at the grocery store or a waitress where she had dinner. She often gives me a stack to keep in my wallet. I am going to hand them out more often!

In my family, at the end of a visit we put post-it notes with messages of love around the house. Last time I visited my parents I put a post-it note that said, “I love you” in the microwave and another one that said “HELLO!” in the freezer. Small ways to keep my parents smiling when I leave. I am going to think of new ways to share post-it notes with people I care about.

Not sure if you know this about me, I love rose quartz. It is a pink stone that is said to be the stone of universal love. I often have a piece of it on me or near me, in my bag or pocket or wearing a ring made of rose quartz. I often have an extra piece with me and give it away to those who need a boost of love. This can be a friend having a hard time or stranger at a coffee shop who looks down. It has been a while since I have given away rose quartz and I am going to start again!

Personally, I find the small moments can carry a big impact towards making memories.

So, here is my must make moves for you:

1. Consider what memories you have from your childhood.

2. Build intentional memories for loved ones in your life, especially your children.

3. Think about what ways you can make a memory for a stranger with a small act of kindness.

You know I’m sure curious, so please share some of the ways that you are going to intentionally make new memories!

It can be as simple as smiling at a stranger as you walk down the street or starting your next meeting with your favorite song before you dive into business. It could be inviting a friend to your yoga class (even if you know they won’t come, it can be nice to be invited) or giving a compliment to a stranger in the grocery store (some people wear fabulous shoes).

What are the small ways you will create memories?

Blue skies – Dr. Marcie

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