Anonymous Valentines at the Office

I work in an office of forty people. Most of us barely knew each other's names. So this year, I decided to do something about it. On the night of February 13th, I stayed late and left an anonymous valentine on every single desk.

Each one was different. I wrote something true and specific about each person. To the receptionist: "Your 'good morning' sets the tone for the whole building." To the quiet IT guy: "You fixed my laptop in five minutes and didn't make me feel stupid." To our boss: "Thank you for always remembering our kids' names."

The next morning, the office was buzzing. People were reading their cards out loud. A guy from accounting got a little choked up. Everyone tried to figure out who had written them. Nobody guessed me.

Then something wonderful happened. By the end of the week, other people started leaving anonymous notes on each other's desks. It hasn't stopped. There's a note on my desk right now that says, "Your laugh is the best sound in this building."