Forget to delight your future self

Hone your natural talent for forgetting things and put it to good use.

I don't know about you, but my memory is sometimes a little flaky.  Instead of lamenting over my inability to remember things, I usually make ready use of tools (e.g. a notebook, my PDA, a friend's memory) to make up for this fact.  But not always.  Sometimes I actually set my PDA aside and make a point of forgetting.

The first cold day of my second winter at college, I found a $20 bill in my winter coat!  Obviously I hadn’t done a good job at checking my pockets before storing away my cold-weather wear the previous spring.  But that didn’t matter – the extra cash in my coat was an unexpected treat.  I thought it was the coolest thing.

Winter ended and this time, when I was setting aside my winter clothes for storage, I remembered to empty all my pockets.  However, before I placed my coat into its storage bin, an idea hit me -- I pulled out my wallet, fished out a $20 bill, and tucked it into one of the pockets.  I assumed that, even though I would know to expect it, the $20 would still be a treat come winter.

Although it wasn’t intentional, I actually managed to forget that I did this.  Which means that on the first cold day of my third winter at college, I was surprised when I found a $20 bill in my winter coat!  Of course, finding the $20 jogged my memory but I was delighted nonetheless.

When you’re feeling especially good, write yourself a letter.  Aim to delight yourself, or bring yourself a little cheer.  Address it, stamp it, and hand it to someone reliable who can mail it to you in a month, or a year, or a couple of years.

Is there a poem you especially like?  Make a copy of it and place it into a book or nook that you access once in a blue moon. 

Order flowers for yourself, months and months in advance.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to forget.