I love stickers.
Absolutely adore them.
Funny stickers.
Cute stickers.
Sarcastic stickers.
Shiny stickers.
Stickers with little animals wearing sweaters.
I want them all.
I own...
A concerning number of stickers.
Enough that I should probably have a dedicated sticker budget.
Here's the problem.
Not a single one of them is stuck...
Anywhere.
They're all sitting safely inside a drawer.
Perfectly preserved.
Completely useless.
People always ask,
"Why don't you use them?"
Because...
What if I pick the wrong place?
You think I'm kidding.
I'm not.
Once a sticker goes somewhere...
That's it.
No take-backs.
No do-overs.
You've committed.
It's a lifelong relationship.
Should I put it on my laptop?
But what if I buy a better laptop?
Water bottle?
What if I stop liking this water bottle?
Planner?
What if next year's planner is prettier?
Notebook?
What if this notebook only gets three pages before I abandon it?
These are the questions keeping me from sticker happiness.
The sticker itself isn't the problem.
It's commitment.
I have literally purchased stickers...
Just to admire them.
Every now and then I'll open the drawer...
Smile.
Think,
"These are adorable."
Then carefully close the drawer again.
Mission accomplished.
I realize how ridiculous this sounds.
I paid actual money...
For decorations...
That I refuse to decorate with.
My husband doesn't understand.
"Why don't you just stick it on something?"
Because...
WHAT IF SOMETHING BETTER COMES ALONG, DAVE?
The funny thing is...
This isn't actually about stickers.
It's about perfection.
Some tiny part of my brain believes there's a perfect place.
The ideal notebook.
The forever laptop.
The water bottle I'll use until the end of time.
As if such a mythical object exists.
Spoiler alert.
It doesn't.
Meanwhile...
The stickers just sit there.
Waiting.
Patiently.
For the perfect moment.
Which, coincidentally...
Never arrives.
I've started noticing I do this with more than stickers.
The nice journal.
The fancy notebook.
The expensive candles.
The beautiful stationery.
The special mug.
The "good" lotion.
Apparently I'm saving everything...
For a version of life that never actually happens.
One day it hit me.
The sticker isn't happier in the drawer.
The candle doesn't become more special because I never light it.
The pretty notebook isn't fulfilling its destiny by remaining blank.
These things were made...
To be enjoyed.
Not admired from a safe distance.
I'm getting better.
Not much.
But better.
Every once in a while...
I take a deep breath...
Peel the backing off...
And stick the sticker somewhere.
It's terrifying.
For approximately six seconds.
Then I realize...
It makes me smile every single time I see it.
Turns out...
That was the perfect place all along.
Because I finally let myself enjoy it.
Although...
Let's not get carried away.
I still have approximately seventy-three untouched stickers.
Future Tracy is apparently going to own the world's most perfect water bottle.
I'm really excited for her.
Kevin, on the other hand...
He used every single one of his squirrel stickers.
Of course he did.
He even put one on his acorn storage bin.
Chief Sparkle Officers don't wait for perfect.
They make ordinary things fabulous.
Honestly...
Kevin's becoming a little insufferable.
Long live Kevin.
Chief Sticker Application Officer. 🐿️✨💜
