Ode to the Post-it Note

I love office supplies. Seriously, love them. Paper clips, binder clips, staplers, folders, recipe cards, notebooks, pens--I adore pens!--holders for pens, and basically anything else you'll see on that store aisle. Do I need to buy any more of these things?

No.

Do I?

Often.

Favorites are hard to choose, but in the office supply family, the Post-it Note is probably mine. So many colors. So many shapes. SO MANY USES. I joke that they are my brain.

It's not really a joke.

Months ago, fellow author Rebecca McKinnon (you can learn more about her and her books here: http://rebeccamckinnon.com/) gave me some of the best Post-it Notes I've ever seen. Recipe card Post-it Notes! They are the size of a recipe card, lined like a recipe card, but they are sticky! And they come in various colors. Best. Gift. Ever!
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I like to plot stories with them on my walls, as you can see here: ​

Frankly, I like to use them anywhere and everywhere.
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One day, I was sitting at my desk, looking at my sticky notes, and I thought "I don't know anything about the history of these things."

Now I do. And if you keep reading, so will you.

A brief history of the Post-it Note, according to my Wikipedia reading.

Like so many good things, the Post-it Note origins began with a mistake. In 1968, Dr. Steven Silver, an American scientist, was trying to make a new type of adhesive. It wasn't as effective as he wanted, but in 1974 one of his colleagues, Arthur Fry, heard about his reusable and not-too-sticky adhesive, and Art had an idea. He was really wanting a way to easily bookmark different pages in his church hymnbook and he thought this adhesive on a bit of paper might do the trick.

Thank you, Arthur Fry! And Dr. Silver too, of course.
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Modern technology is amazing. But I do love me a good old fashioned Post-it Note.

What's your favorite office supply? Tell me about it in the comments!