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This week’s mission: ATM now stands for “Always Trust Magic”
I do most of my writing at a coffeehouse in the neighborhood. I sit at the same table, same chair, facing the same direction. When I look up from my computer, I look straight out the window to an ATM across the street; that’s my view. All this to say that I spend a fair amount of time staring into space (thinking about whatever I’m working on, writing about) with those 3 letters as some kind of subliminal wallpaper.
And this is how I decided that ATM will no longer stand for Automated Teller Machine. Where’s the poetry in that? I’ve decided that ATM stands for Always Trust Magic.
(Ed. note – don’t skip the video. It’s under 2 minutes. Amy did an awesome job putting it together. Just trust me: watch it.)
MISSION: To kick off this brand new blog (yeah! brand new blog!) in a big way, I say we all leave anonymous, little notes taped to the ATM’s we use as a way to surprise and delight the next person who arrives there. We can write our notes on post-its, on ATM receipts, on napkins, even on dollar bills. Write whatever you want as long as it’s nice. And as long as you don’t try to sell anybody anything—this is meant to be a no strings attached act. And we all sign our notes the same way: ATM = Always Trust Magic.
SHARE: Share your experience by writing the note and uploading photos or video to our flickr page. (even just from a phone). You can also e-mail them here: missionamykr@vocalo.org.
Off we go…
miss amy k.r.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: ATM! Always Trust Magic
blogs.vocalo.org
Cute idea but this ATM “mission” looks like graffiti to me, and unless people go back and take these things down it will most likely end up being just more litter. I suggest people post their little notes on twitter or facebook or whatever rather than defacing property and spreading wastepaper around.
Really? How is this like graffiti?
Also, what’s wrong with a little whimsical graffiti?
Is this Andy Rooney under a pseudonym?
All burning questions I’d love to have answered…
It’s probably incestuous for me to comment on a fellow vocalo blogger’s post, but I can’t resist: This post is pure genius.
Like graffiti it defaces property that belongs to others.
Whimsical or not if you want people posting it, have them post it on something you own and see that it does not become litter.
I’m sure Andy Rooney has better things to do.
Vernon, I’m really sorry/saddened to hear this is how you interpret my ATM Always Trust Magic idea. Not because I think you are actually missing the whole point, but because I am (like most humans) totally anti-litter and have been drilling that into my kids’ heads since they were in utero. So to be clear to you (and the universe, who I believe is always listening), this is in my mind not at all litter, nor is it graffiti or defacing property; the notes are left with a small piece of easy-to-remove scotch tape. (If I scrawled these notes in sharpie marker on the machines, THAT would be graffiti/defacing.) I sign off this note with the same message that opens my little film: Enjoy your life, everyone… my very best, amy k.r.
Not sure we will get to participate in this mission, but I will stay tuned! Just wanted to post for support of Miss Amy K.R.
Amazing That aMy! :)
Dear Miss K.R.
I do not mean to make you feel bad. I do not mean to suppress anyone’s creativity. I did say that it is a cute idea, and I’m sure you have good intentions. I just don’t think it has been adequately thought through. I don’t know that ease of removal really discriminates this mission from any other type of graffiti. What happens to these little notes after they have been posted? Someone has to remove them. Perhaps the message will touch someone’s heart and they will take it with them; perhaps whoever maintains the ATM will have to remove them; perhaps the weather will remove them and they will become litter. An AMT is not a bulletin board; do the owners want notes posted on them? Do they know you are encouraging people to do this? I’m not against guerrilla poetry, just don’t stick it on people’s property without their permission.
No offense intended,
Vern
I LOVE this idea!
And Vernon, it sounds like you could really use a “magic” note…
It does not have to be litter, I am pretty sure if their was a post it that declared “always trust magic” I would take it with me. So the next person might likely be your litter clean up. I love random found notes. I constantly leave cards with quotes in my library books, so that other people can find them. Who knows what happens to them.
Vernon, you need to take the stick out of your ass. I don’t mean to be rude but LIGHTEN UP.
What a wonderful idea, Amy! You always make my day.
As for the “graffiti” comments, I really don’t think these notes will end up as litter on the floor. I know that if I found one, I would take it home with me or leave it for the next person. These notes are not causing offense or inconvenience to anyone or harming the ATM machine.
I hope the Beckoning of Lovely is going well!
Abbey
I agree, it’s a great idea Amy!! BTW, I think we’d be better off chastising the people who throw their receipts on the ground after using the ATM. It would be a joy to actually see a happy note and I’m one of those people who would probably save it.
I’m looking forward to leaving a note…. Love the new blog!
cute idea, our coffee shop closed hopefully it will reopen soon, so my friends and me now meet at mcdonalds
I don’t get what you mean by magic. No one is going to think these notes appear via anything but somebody sticking them there. Maybe magic refers to Scotch Brand Magic Tape which would work very well for holding these things up. And I really don’t think “always trust magic” is good advice. Live by that creed and you will fall prey to every psychic scamster that comes your way. You don’t need magic to enjoy your life. I live by the laws of nature and so do you whether you acknowledge it or not. So don’t waste your time waiting for magic or calling things magic that are not.
As for the notes, I’m just playing with you. I really don’t care where you stick them; just don’t stick ‘em on me.
Enjoy your missions,
Vern
Amy, this made me smile!
I’m teaching “Little Pea” to my PreK Bookclub class this week. Thank you for doing what you do!
Not sure why Vernon is here at this place when it seems to cause contention and stress. Let it be. As parents must say every day, “pick your battles.” Time to move on and enjoy the goodness in this mission!
Amy, can you share the musician’s name and the song title?
Lots of graffiti has positive messages. I think the general aim of graffiti is to claim private spaces with public messages. I don’t think you should be ashamed of having your project labeled ‘graffiti’ as it probably falls into that definition.
@Pam ooo, ooo, I know the answer to that one! It’s “Magic in the Air” by Badly Drawn Boy. From one of my perennial favorite albums “The Hour of Bewilderbeast”!
Andrew, you call it like it is! Love that Badly Drawn Boy; their song “The Shining” is still one of my all-time favorites. Just playing it now…ah, love that intro….
Attention Vernon: Geez, really? It’s difficult for me to believe you truly feel the content of your writing. Graffiti? Litter? I agree with the previous writer – I think you need a little magic in your life. I hope you find it and you can view the world with a half full glass rather than a half empty one.
ATTN: Amy k.r. I think the idea is fabulous and full of love. I, myself, would have a great big smile on my face if I were to find one of these notes on an ATM. I hope to go out and leave a few for others to find. What a great way to brighten someone’s day!
Amy, your video made me clutch my heart because it was so achingly beautiful. I would squeal with delight if I found such a note on an ATM. We need more whimsy and magic in this world. Everyday I do a “to do list” (I’m the poster girl for Virgos) and sometimes they get me down- so much to do, to achieve. I loved your lists only item “enjoy my life.” It felt like a breath of fresh air.
Hi, I love this idea. I have a tiny suggestion – don’t write it on the back of an ATM reciept though – reciepts have our account #’s on them and that could turn our magic into mahem. :) Mine is going on a hot pink post-it!!
Lovely idea.. I’m actually going to do it – I think the magic is the care felt by the person receiving it – that someone who doesn’t know them would do that. That warms the heart and is worth a little litter (maybe it’ll get picked up by two people!)
Hey all, if you are planning on contributing to this mission, the deadline is Friday! Just FYI… Amy will put together a post with the contributions Friday, probably mid-day. So get out and get those pictures tomorrow!
I think it’s brilliant. Utterly and totally brilliant.
Love this. Found you through Andrea Scher’s blog. Will stop back often to check progress of the project.
I alos love the idea. Beautiful. And not So much against the law of nature as Mr V. might think. When I went to university for majoring in Psychology, my Professor had us make an experiment: We measured the level of happiness of quite some clients (using all kind of psychological and psychometric tests). Half of the group was sent to fetch us a book in a bookshelf before we started the measuring. And “accidently” all of them found there a coin (worth nearlly nothing, less than a quarter or so). AND: Those clients were significally more happy than the other group. Is that magic or what? And how ethical is it NOT to cause others happiness (as it undoubtfully will happen even more by nice messages found at unexpected places)? Anyway. Greetings from Europe.
I think this is an absolutely fantastic uplifting thing to do for everyone during the cold dark winter…and anytime really.
My understanding of this IDEA is that the person who visits the ATM after you will take these notes with them as a positive inspiration for the rest of the day.
Of coursse there will be people that will leave them behind and wonder, for the rest of the day, why such a sweet, uplifting note was there…keep them wondering. Maybe we should add…”take this little note of inspiration with you”.
Gotta run and get myself some nifty post-it notes and off I go on an inspiration mission today.
Love your blog and this idea.
I don’t have much to say about the Always Trust Magic whimsy/graffiti debate (other than yeah, maybe Andy Rooney IS blog stalking you and hilarious!)
What I do have to say is that I LOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEE Little Pea and relish reading it to my 11 month-old.
That is all!
If I found a note like this – I would save it. Not throw it on the ground as litter. And most ATMs have little garbage receptacles next to them. So if someone doesn’t want it – they can toss it in there. No biggie.
Great idea, Amy!
I found the video uplifting as well. It is a little bit of pay it forward or “spread the joy”. On days like today when it seems like all we hear about is misery (Haiti), can’t we all take a minute to be positive influence in the world?
Unfortunately I currently have some sort of stomach flu and do not want to spread that joy, so I will not be visiting any ATM’s this week.
I will continue to follow Amy’s postings and hope to participate in another.
I am also a huge Badly Drawn Boy fan (About a Boy soundtrack is a personal favorite).
ATM Everyone!
Okay, I love the idea and after reading all the notes and watching the video, I like the idea of the dollar bill: We are ONE, signed ATM = Always Trust Magic. Who wouldn’t take the dollar bill and use it, and the next place they spend the dollar gets to receive the brotherly/sisterly message? That way there’s no posty-notes to be blown off to the ground. If the dollar bill falls, someone will be sure to pick up! Problem solved!
i think this is genius!
i love the idea of spreading some magic & maybe even bringing a smile to someone’s face. i’m putting tape in my purse right now…
Mission completed! We had a family field trip tonight : )
Watching the video, I felt magic happening! Thank you ATM magicians everywhere!
Even on my irritatingly sloooooow laptop, the video is lovely.
I’m a bit worried by Vernon….he couldn’t even SEE the magic…wow.
As someone who picks up bits of paper from the ground in case I like what’s on them, I’d be rather happy to find a note like this….and yes, of course I’d keep it, blog it, colage with it….the possibilities are (almost) endless.
Can’t wait to hear/see more….and I’m off to leave a note today (who cares if I’m too late or something!!)
nicki x
oh dear, vernon marsh, please trust magic!
and miss amyKR, i’m sending you all my love and admiration. does it have to end in a week? i wish it could go on til i come to the ATM machine and find a note myself. xoxo
Well, it got me, who never follows up on these things, to check out the comments. I see it did not take too long for vituperative comments to snake in.
Good luck. I have not seen the video yet.
Wow i love the atm art idea , in Canada there is 1 atm machine where you can see art on the atm machine read more on bankonart.net , one of my paintings will be on there in Februar ( you can also see it on http://www.atm-art.com )klik on blog
tomorrow i will get some post its and leave some happy notes for the next user
great idea
Michael
Michael Heuvel,
I am so glad I subscribed to the comments on this ATM entry–I just received your comment via my e-mail inbox! Thanks for sharing about ATMs in Canada…I wonder what is next for Art? Art truly is everywhere.
Thanks to Amy for reminding us of this, along with reminding us that magic is everywhere, too.
To Amy Krouse Rosenthal, her missions, and her ability to share wonder with everyone she meets (and doesn’t meet!)
When I am low on money I go to the ATM and cross my fingers that “magic money” will come out! Lovely idea, I will leave a note in hopes of finding one:)
Dear Verne:
A little bit of magic
Can go a long, long way.
If you just stop to appreciate
What happens to YOU in a day!
Amy has cleverly found a way
To evoke a special feeling,
And share it with a stranger…
How could that not be appealing?
For a moment, we leave the rational world
And create a moment of pleasure.
It’s definitely worth a try…
Even if hard to measure.
Not only the recipient wins…
You will feel good too.
Even if you try just once…
Your heart will smile with you.
So, let’s separate concept from execution,
As we celebrate her uplifting notion.
And agree it can never hurt
To kindle magic via emotion.
Now, on the subject of graffiti
Which btw is an established genre of art…
Your point is well taken…
But you can still play a part…
Please don’t shoot the messenger
But if you’re worried about litter…
Take the wonderful ATM idea
To email, blog or twitter.
Find your definition of magic…
Post a few words of charm…
Succumb to your inner smile…
Allow it to twist your arm!
I personally can’t wait
To write my little magical escape …
And, I’m chuckling at the security camera
That will have this all on tape!
Love this idea. I’m looking forward to leaving notes. Not sure I’ll be able to photograph the ATM’s I’m near due to high foot traffic but it will be fun to see.
i’m down with this and all, only invariably the next parasite who reads our notes is going to discard the paper on the streets and litter. bastids!
What a cool idea, this should spread all over the world.
this brought tears to my sleep-deprived-mama eyes. I want to spread the love.
also, there is no need to feed the trolls. resistance always arises when we are on the right track.
brilliant. can’t wait to get started!
this is so wonderful!!!
I love this idea and now that I learned about your ecourse from Laurie Cameron who lives near me I just may take it — your blog and energy is very positive and I love that. I also think spreading joy like this is great. I draw faces on cars when it snows with my fingers so I’m always interested in spreading joy — this is really lovely!!!
I do have a question though, if you tape things to an ATM can’t you get in trouble for that? ATMs have cameras on them and I worked for a few large banks when I lived in America and I remember that if anyone was caught writing on or sticking things to an ATM they could get into some trouble as it’s considered private property plus there are SO many ATM scams out there I personally wouldn’t want to do anything that would potentially upset the bank. Also someone else could report a note on an ATM as suspicious behavior — they may think it’s not really a friendly note sharing joy but something else… It’s funny right, but what we think is so harmless someone else may not…
https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/Control.do?body=privacysecur_atmcardsafety
Just something to think about because if you never worked in banking it may not have ever even come to mind. :) But your idea is still wonderful. xoxo
love + peace.
# Holly you should use post-its , the small yellow stick on things that are easy to remove , then the bank will not hassle you , beside they will film you face not your hands , and i would love to have a bank take me to court for putting up a “post it”
regards Michel (M in atm-art.com)
It’s a fab idea!
I’d also like to say that there are people who quite literally need that tiny acknowledgment that someone, even a stranger, just wanted to share a moment and hopefully leave a smile behind. I can’t think of anyone I’ve met, and I’ve met a lot of folks, who would see such a greeting and tear it off the ATM (or any surface) and send it on its big journey to see the world littered. Perhaps if people have a hard time getting over this concept, instead they could do the old hold-a-door-open-for-a-stranger trick, spread some goodwill in this old-fashioned way! :)
hey amy! (and everyone else on here) havent visited your stuff in ages! sadly…. must more often – there’s magic in all your inspirational projects. i need to share that i’d say it was about a year and a half ago, but still great – went thru a starbucks drive thru and after placing my order, i came to find out from the bistro that my coffe was “purchased by the previous customer”. no one i knew…. just a small jesture to brighten (and it did) someone’s day. so i bought for the person behind me – did they buy for the next? and the next? i have no idea… i wanted to stick around and see how long that pay it forward lasted. … i like to pretend it’s still going.
ps – a… t…. m… brilliant!
great idea! the thought alone makes me giggle. vern, my friend,i too am a naturalist, but to say there is no such thing as magic is wrong. magic occurs everytime my teenage son says i love you or even smiles at me for no reason. loving your teenage child even after they’ve snarked at you. now that truly is magic! i wish you nothing but positive thoughts. they may mean nothing to you, but they make me happy. peace and love! to everyone else, POST ON! POST EVERYWHERE!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea. I somehow missed this post, but am eager to participate and share my photos! :-) THANK YOU! ATM :-)
This is a great idea! This will really helping my family bond
I absolutely love the idea “ATM=Always Trust Magic. I will leave a note today.
Lancaster, Ca. I found your blog thru sliceofpink by the way. Anyhow, Wonderfuland I hope it travels across this land, thank you Amy.
W O R D.
;)