About
Very Important Notes is a place to write the words that matter.
The ones we often carry for years.
The ones we mean to write “one day”.
The ones that can make things clearer, kinder, or easier for someone else.
Very Important Notes was inspired by a story, a poem written by an elderly man named Mak, found after he passed away alone in a nursing home. In his words, the nurses who had cared for him discovered the full life he’d lived, the child he once was, the husband, the father, the man who still loved, remembered, and dreamed.
This is
The Story of Mac
Mak lived alone in a nursing home, forgotten by all as he lived all alone in the Geriatric ward of a nursing home and the nurses did not know anything about him.
When he passed the nurses found something amazingly beautiful and valuable lying among Mak’s personal effects. A poem so touching and beautiful that should remind us people may not always know our past.
THIS IS THE POEM:
What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking…when you’re looking at me?
A cranky old man…not very wise,
Uncertain of habit…with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food…and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice…I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice…the things that you do.
And forever is losing…A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not…lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding…The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse…you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding…as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten…with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters…who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen…with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now…a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty…my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows…that I promised to keep
At Twenty-Five, now…I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide…And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty…My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other…With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons…have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me…to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more…Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children…My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me…My wife is now dead.
I look at the future…I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing…young of their own.
And I think of the years…And the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man…and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age…look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles…grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone…where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young man still dwells,
And now and again…my battered heart swells
I remember the joys…I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living…life over again.
I think of the years, all too few…gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact…that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people…open and see.
Not a cranky old man.
Look closer…see…ME!!
How many important things go unwritten, simply because we don’t know where to put them?
What VIN is for
Very Important Notes is not about productivity or journalling targets.
It’s about giving words a place when they matter.
People use VIN to:
- Leave messages of love or reassurance
- Explain things that feel difficult to say out loud
- Capture memories before they fade
- Write practical notes with care and clarity
- Record wishes, values, or intentions for the future
Some notes are private.
Some are shared.
Some are kept “just in case”.
All of them count.
HOW IT WORKS
VIN is built to work with where you are, not where you think you should be.
YOU CAN
Explore reasons to write, when you’re not sure where to begin
Choose a place to write, whether that’s reflective, practical, or personal
Make things official, when clarity really matters
OUR ETHOS
What we believe
Writing can be an act of care
Clear words can reduce future stress and misunderstanding
Small notes often matter more than grand statements
You don’t need a crisis to justify writing something down
GET STARTED
A quiet invitation
If there’s a note you keep meaning to write.
If something feels unfinished, unspoken, or worth holding onto.
If today feels like the right moment, even slightly.
You’re in the right place.