Night Notes

As a kid, I had terrible handwriting.

In grade school I only got Ds instead of Fs in handwriting because the teachers knew I tried hard, and maybe partly because I got good grades in all my other subjects.

And my handwriting hasn't improved with time. It's a good thing we now have keyboards or nobody would be able to read what I write.

But sometimes that doesn't matter.  There's one kind of handwriting nobody but me has or will ever need to read. I call it night notes.

I always keep a pencil and small notepad beside my bed and often write notes to myself in the dark.

Maybe I'll think of something I need to do the next day, or a person I should contact. Often I get ideas about something to possibly write about and don't want to forget.

When that happens I reach over in the dark, grab the pencil and pad, and scribble down a name or a few words without being able to see it at all.

Then I tear off the sheet from the notepad and drop it on my slippers, being careful it falls far enough out so it won't go under the bed where I might not see it in the morning.

The next morning the first thing I do is pick up the note or notes from the previous night and put them on my dresser where I'll be able to read them later.

Once in a while when I do read them I realize a note doesn't make sense, or is a reminder for something I already did, but usually they are helpful. 

Night notes have never disturbed other people, like my husband or a conference roommate. (Yes, I did write a night note while at the writers' conference a few days ago.)

And if anyone else were to look at my night notes they probably wouldn't be able to read my handwriting anyway.