Maybe a Note Would Help: Transforming Your Life with a Few Kind Words

Tremonti Reiter, founder of Creatively Noted, a company that conducts note-writing workshops, debuts with a ho-hum ode to the power of handwritten notes. During a precarious period when the author and her husband, then an NFL free agent, were searching for their next home base, Reiter decided to begin writing a handwritten note each day, and found in the practice a powerful tool for staying grounded and improving her “mental, spiritual, and physical health.” She unpacks the many benefits of note writing, among them boosting one’s sense of gratitude, fortifying connections with friends, family, and acquaintances, and providing a creative outlet. Guidance for establishing one’s own note-writing practice is included, with tips on choosing recipients, deciding on content, and sticking with the practice. The author’s cheery tone and enthusiasm charm, and readers will appreciate the inclusion of her notes to friends, family, and acquaintances. Unfortunately, her exhortations of the benefits of note writing become repetitive, and the writing advice is mostly stale. The result is a sweet but superfluous paean to a lost art. (Apr.)