Yellow Paper.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor over and over again. She quickened her step as she looked at her silver watch and barely made it onto the overcrowded elevator. It smelled like leather bags, expensive suits and workaholics. She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping this day would go by as fast as possible.

By the time lunch was over she was ready to go home. The clock in her office was ticking just a little too loudly, the window was letting in a draft and her shoes were too tight. She took a big drink of coffee and rubbed her eyes. The caffeine is what always kept her going throughout the afternoon.

7 :00pm and it was time to go home. She had been counting the minutes all day, and sighed sleepily to herself as she slid on her coat. Her heels dragged against the marble floor as they pinched her feet and once again she ran to catch the elevator. The ride was quiet, except for busy fingers sending emails on their blackberries. She never understood how people could keep working after the day was done. All she could think about was sleep and the hot bath she would take once she got home.

When she walked in the front door, she kicked off her shoes and lit a cigarette. Her family had tried to convince her to quit, but she loved it too much. The smoke encircled her head and she walked upstairs to run a bath for herself. The water gushed loudly into the tub and she could see the steam rising. After her bath she would eat her daily ice cream and go to bed.

Mundane and repetitive couldn’t even begin to explain her life. Wake-up, eat, get dressed, drive, work, drive, bathe, eat, and sleep. That’s all she ever did. It was a routine she had become so accustomed to that she was too scared to change it. She knew she wasn’t living. She was only surviving.

Her next day at work however would prove to be different. A hiccup in her everyday routine would be the best thing to happen to her in a decade.

The morning started like any other. Her drive to work was the same, and the elevator ride was the same. It was when she sat at her sterile desk that she noticed something was off. There was a yellow piece of paper stuck on her computer monitor. She saw that someone had written her a note. It said:

Life is about more than an office job you hate. Do something crazy and let your hair down for once! Find something to smile about and wear your smile to work. People notice you, but you’re too wrapped up in your misery to notice them. Take a chance on life. It’ll do you some good. You deserve to be happy, but happiness is something you have to pursue before you can experience it.

She quickly ripped the note off the computer and looked around. She had no idea who had written it, and she barely talked to anyone in the office. She re-read the note, and a small smile started to form on her face. It didn’t matter who wrote it. Every word of it was true and she knew she couldn’t ignore it. She had lived her whole life feeling insignificant and trapped. Today would be different though. Someone had noticed her, and someone cared. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and threw it into the garbage bin. She slipped off her tight shoes and got straight to work. The day seemed to go by quickly. She ate lunch with some coworkers, and drank less coffee. Her eyes weren’t fixed on the clock and when 7:00 came around, she jumped out of her seat and walked to the elevator. Tired of getting blisters, she carried her shoes with her, and smiled at the people she saw. She turned on the radio when she got in the car and didn’t light a cigarette when she opened the front door. The ice cream stayed in the freezer and she didn’t run a hot bath. Today had been a good day. It was a new beginning. One short note helped her to realize that life was too precious to be wasted on the things she hated so much. Tomorrow would be better than all the yesterdays she had. A lot better.

Back at the office, the janitor was cleaning up from the day’s activities. As he emptied each garbage bin, something caught his eye- a hair elastic. He looked at the office he was in and smiled. He hadn’t thought that his note would make a difference, but the hair elastic said it all. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so insignificant. He started to whistle, and continued emptying the garbage bins, anxiously awaiting the next day.