Thanking People

About a month ago I had to call tech support and the man who took the call was very patient with my lack of technological skills. When the call was finished I said I'd mention in the survey that I appreciated his work, but he said they didn't have anything like a survey. At my request he gave me his supervisors phone number.

I called it and expressed my appreciation. The boss was flabbergasted! He told me all the calls he ever gets are complaints and nobody had ever called to say thanks before.

I blogged about a similar experience a few years ago. (Here's the link: http://onwordsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/giving-thanks.html )

It seems like people are a lot more likely to complain than to thank people.

At Thanksgiving we remember to be thankful for things like food, homes, friends and family, etc. and that's important. But I hope we can remember to be thankful all year long, and not just for the necessities and pleasures of our lives.

We need to remember to thank the people who help us every day, often just doing their jobs.

Sure the people who collect our garbage, wait on us in stores, direct traffic, deliver the mail, etc., etc. get paid for what they do.

But many of them get complaints when they do something that's not perfect, or their jobs inconvenience someone. And, judging by the reactions I've seen, when somebody expresses appreciation, it can make them very happy.

So please remember to thank people and even mention to their supervisors that we appreciate those who help us, even if it's just part of their jobs.

And, by the way, I want to thank you for reading this and for all the nice comments I've gotten about my posts on Facebook in the past.

Thanks Again

Most years near Thanksgiving I blog about the same topic. Sorry if it gets boring, but it's something I feel strongly about. The topic is expressing gratitude.

Imagine you're late to work or to an appointment but the traffic where you are is stopped by someone holding up a sign while cars come toward you in the only lane open to traffic. Irritating, isn't it?

But imagine what would happen if nobody did that job.

Roads and underground utilities can't be repaired only when there's no traffic, so our streets, sewer and water systems, etc. would be a mess.

Whenever I'm in a situation like that I try to open my window and call, "Thank you" to the person who made me wait. Usually he or she looks surprised.

There are dozens of people who do jobs most people either find irritating or simply ignore. I try to say something nice and express my gratitude as often as possible.

And if there's a product or business I especially like sometimes I call the manufacturer or main office and express my appreciation. I don't want to waste busy people's time so I don't do that often, but a few of the people I've spoken to have told me my call was the nicest one they'd gotten all day.

The news is full of negative things and people gripe and complain a lot. But saying "Thank you" or sometimes even smiling can put a positive touch to someone's day.

I also keep a blessing journal. At the end of every day I list at least three things I'm thankful for. Being thankful helps me, too.

We don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to say, "Thank you.".

Who Do You Thank?

Okay, you've probably read dozens of things this week about being thankful for your blessings, etc. and that's important. But some thanking is ordinary and should be done all year long, and not just during the holidays.

Sometimes even those who seem to be a nuisance deserve our thanks. If people get pulled over for speeding and get tickets they won't feel grateful, but the police officers are saving lives by doing that job. The building inspector who requires someone's time to check things may be preventing a fire or keeping people from being cheated by lazy contractors.

Every time I must wait while traffic coming the other direction passes a construction zone I try to thank the person who required me to stop. Just imagine what would happen if if nobody did that job.
Several years ago I blogged about that and you can read the post here:
 http://onwordsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/giving-thanks.html

And then there are the people who are doing things we do like. It's nice to thank a teacher, doctor, or other professional who is doing a good job, but contacting one of those people from your past and expressing gratitude means even more. And authors love to hear from readers that something they wrote made a difference. Even the checker or bagger at a grocery store would love to hear that someone appreciates the job they do.

Those are only a few examples. I'm sure you can think of many more people who deserve thanks, not only at Thanksgiving time, but all year long.

Thanks Again

After Christmas some people my age and older sent me handwritten thank you notes. But I thanked people for gifts and hospitality with e-mail messages and got e-mail messages expressing appreciation from others. The days when people had to sit down and compose polite, handwritten letters to all the distant relatives who sent gifts they often didn't like are clearly over.

But thanking people is still important.

Some folks work hard at jobs where they may get complaints if someone doesn't like what they do, but rarely get praise. There have been times when I've thanked people like those repairing streets, collecting trash, stocking shelves in a grocery store, or cleaning public buildings and they have seemed both pleased and amazed. Unless they have something to gripe about, most people take those workers for granted, yet the world would be a lot worse if nobody did those jobs.

And a few times when someone did an especially excellent job I've contacted their employers to say so. Whenever that happened the person who took my call seemed shocked and surprised that someone would bother to contact them with a positive comment, although they often get negative ones.

It only takes a few seconds or, at most, a few minutes to express appreciation for people who do a good job, but doing so can mean a lot to someone. In 2012 I hope to thank a lot more people.