Sticky Notes & Sparkles: Releasing My Mantra Into the Universe

In the market hall beneath the viaduct arches of Zurich-West, food lovers gather. You’ll find locally grown produce, bubbling takeaway stalls — and last month, during my April blogging challenge, I told you all about it. 

The true highlight? A vintage cart bursting with sticky notes. Tiny windows into strangers’ hearts. Wishes. Mantras. Jokes. Love letters to the universe.

That cart stayed with me.

So this morning, as I was about to write down my own mantra — a sparkly sentence I whisper to myself post-seminar — an idea struck. Why keep it in my notebook, hidden? Why not release it into the world?

I had a plan. After work, I’d take the train, enjoy dinner nearby, and walk straight to the cart with purpose. My note in hand, heart full of hope. And sparkles, obviously. (There was even a disco ball above my dinner table — I mean, come on!)

Chili con carne. Chocolate cake. A deep breath.

I entered the market hall in high spirits… until I didn’t.

Where the cart once stood proud and sticky-note-covered, there was now a barren frame. The notes — all of them — gone. A few potted bottles and a flyer for an upcoming festival were all that remained. It looked… stripped. Quiet. Like someone had wiped away something magical.

I stood there, disoriented. I hadn’t thought this could be temporary. I thought the cart would wait for me. For my words. For my moment.

What now? Just go home? Tape my note to my own forehead? Cry into the remains of my chocolate cake?

There was no one to ask. Just a nearby flower stand, with wreaths pinned to the wall. I didn’t think. I just moved. I slid my note into the middle of one.

There. I did it.

My mantra is out there now, nestled in petals and leaves.

Not the plan. Not the spotlight. But maybe, exactly right.

And it made me think… 

What if I leave more notes — secret, sparkly gifts — in unexpected places?

• Library books: A quiet encouragement inside a self-help or parenting guide.

• Locker rooms / restrooms: A mantra taped to a mirror where doubt often lingers.

• Doctor’s offices: A kind word slipped into a waiting room magazine.

• Coat pockets: At donation bins or thrift stores — a soft surprise in the lining.

• Grocery store: On a box of herbal tea. Chocolate. Tampons. Someone will absolutely need it.

• Cafés: Tucked into the napkin holder or taped inside the bathroom stall door.

So what’s the moral of the story?

I went the extra mile — literally — and didn’t get the outcome I’d imagined. But I adjusted. I let go. I got creative. And something tells me that’s the point.

Sometimes the cart disappears.

So you stick your note to a wreath and carry on. I’m pragmatic like that.

And maybe next time, the note ends up in a book, a pocket, or behind a sugar jar.

Your turn. Feeling bold? Go leave a note. Then tell me where.