Stick it to me

I’m in heaven today. That’s because it’s National Sticker Day. It’s a day that I can happily pay tribute to one of my favorite obsessions: stickers.

I have thousands of stickers in all colors, shapes and sizes. They fill the pages and entries on my day planner to help events literally stick out.

Some are practical and serve as reminders of appointments or things to do. Some are themed for holidays or seasons. Some make a statement about my thoughts for the day or event. And some are whimsical and have no real purpose.

While I realize it can seem a bit childish for a grown woman to be so tickled pink by seeing the colorful images throughout my planner, I take solace in the fact that I know I am not alone. If I were, there wouldn’t be so many companies churning out new stickers on a regular basis.

It’s a multimillion dollar business and one I happily support. Not only do I continue to buy new stickers for myself (can a person really ever have enough?) I pick them up for friends and co-workers whenever I see something that I know they will like.

According to the National Day Calendar, which keeps track of all such traditional and nontraditional holidays and observances, National Sticker Day falls on the anniversary of R. Stanton Avery’s 1907 birth. Avery created adhesive labels with removable backings. His company lives on and produces many of the labels offices use on a daily basis.

They said the national observance was created in 2015 by StickerGiant, a Colorado-based promotional sticker and label company to celebrate the fun stickers bring to people of all ages.

The day itself is designed to celebrate the ways stickers brighten up a page or send a special message. I know each sticker in my planner was carefully selected to reflect the mood of the day — or the one I hoped to have — or offer much-needed inspiration on what is sure to be a challenging day.

Teachers have been using stickers for years to motivate their students. Think gold stars. So there must be some “science” behind their use — somewhere.

It really doesn’t matter though. For me, the stickers serve a single purpose: They bring a smile to my face when I see the colorful images.

You may laugh at my obsession. But, quite simply, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to help relieve stress and bring a bit of fun to an otherwise challenging task — keeping track of interviews, meetings and special events for work, plus birthdays, anniversaries, personal appointments and activities.

In addition to the thousands of stickers I have for my day planner, I seek out special ones when I travel to decorate my insulated stainless steel tumbler.

Instead of reminding me of something to do, those stickers are a daily reminder of places I’ve visited and bring up special memories.

So, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.