When I was young, one of the things I remember being specifically taught was to write thank you notes. It seemed tedious at the time, but now I love to hand write notes of greetings and thanks. I have to say sometimes I get busy and I feel like I don’t write as many notes as I used to. I also think sometimes I don’t remember if I have written already and send multiple notes. (I’d rather send two than none at all!!)
As an adult I taught my son to write thank you notes, not only for gifts but after job interviews and business meetings. I am not so sure as a grown man that he takes the time to write a thank you note for a gift, but I know for a fact that he still does a business thank you note whenever he does an interview or important meeting.
All during the day I feel like I say thank you a lot! I thank people who wait on me in stores or restaurants. I thank anyone who holds a door for me or stops the car so I can cross the street. Tim and I thank each other several times a day. He always thanks me when I fix his lunch or dinner. I thank him if he takes me out to eat. We thank each other when we go to the movies or a play together.
I guess it sounds crazy to thank each other so much, but if you can’t be polite and thankful with your spouse who can you be polite and thankful with?? Not thanking them for the little things is what leads to taking them for granted.
It has been said that if we say thank you as a prayer, it is enough. I think sometimes it is all I can say when my gratitude is overwhelming- it doesn’t seem sufficient, but it also seems like the best I can do.
Whenever we put ourselves out there for someone else, it is not usually for the thanks. We do for others for many different reasons. The one thing that can make any effort seem extra worthwhile though is to hear a heartfelt thank you.
In teaching kids theatre, I feel strongly that they learn more than just theatre. As in sports, most kids will never be professional athletes or actors. What they will learn can help them in any walk of life- things like teamwork, self control, self reliance, and many more skills too many to mention. I teach because I think theatre is important, but even more than that, our kids are most important.
Sometimes I question my sanity when a big group of kids are loud or don’t listen or aren’t interested in what I am saying or doing. All it takes is one kid, on their own, stopping by to tell me thank you as they leave and I am energized and ready to go again!
When you do something for someone it is always best to do it with no expectations or incentives. Just do it out of the goodness of your heart. Don’t expect anything. But a “thank you” can certainly make whatever effort you expended, whatever resources you used, whatever time you spent feel like an even better choice than it might have before.
Saying thank you to your family, to a stranger, to God is the very least you can do. It is also the ultimate. It costs you nothing. But it does take caring and thoughtfulness to remember that most of the time it is not all about you. We do very little on our own in life. Thanking those who get us through a day, who have helped us be the person we are, who keep us going, who support us emotionally, who stand beside us in tough times and sing with us in good, all deserve a thank you.
So thank you for reading this and in case no one else has told you today- thank you for all you do for the people around you.
