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.

Giving Thanks

Of course most people in the USA and many in other places will be thinking about all the things they have to be thankful for because of the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow.

In many places autumn is the time of year when harvests have been completed and people are preparing for the Winter months, so this is a logical time of the year to appreciate all the good things we have.

But we have a lot to be thankful for all year round.

Many of us take for granted basic things like adequate food, water, clothing, medical care, and homes even though we know a lot of other people don't have those. We may also take for granted our family, friends, good health, and the ability to walk, talk, see, and hear if we have those.

A few years ago I began keeping a blessing journal. Every night just before going to bed I list things I'm grateful for from that day. I originally promised myself I'd write at least three things every night, but I've always had many more than that to list, even without adding the basics.

I'm usually write that I'm grateful for contact with people I care about, beautiful things I've seen, and things I've accomplished, to name only a few.

It only takes a few minutes, but thinking about my blessings before going to bed helps me keep a positive attitude and sleep well.

Instead of only giving thanks at Thanksgiving I do it all year round.

Would you like to try keeping a blessing journal?

Bad, Bad, Bad

The news is full of terrible things.

There are riots, people getting shot, fires, storms, floods, political conflicts, terrorist attacks, climate change, wars and rumors of wars, etc., etc., etc.

If we focus on such things it seems like the end of the world is coming.

But there are more good people than evil ones in the world and nice things happen all the time. The news media focus on the bad stuff partly because the good is so usual it's not newsworthy.

If someone is speeding, ignores a traffic signal, or cuts me off at an intersection I notice, but when a vehicle drives safely and stops when it should I take that for granted.

I couldn't count the number of times strangers have smiled at me, held a door open when my arms were full, or let me go ahead of them.

Yes, storms and floods and earthquakes and forest fires are dangerous, but they happen rarely. How many days in my life have I enjoyed beautiful weather?

And, like many people, my financial situation could be better, but I have friends and family, a roof over my head, food to eat, utilities, transportation and health care. Lots of people in the world lack some or all of those things.

Thanksgiving isn't just for one day in November. I'll try to be thankful for all the good things all year.

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.".

Thanksgiving

Yes, it's March, not November. But, I have a lot to be thankful for. Although I don't often post personal stuff on my blog or elsewhere on the internet I can't resist expressing my appreciation for all the people who have helped me lately.

My diagnosis of a rare cancer in my eye (about six people in a million get it) was followed by a month of medical appointments and an outpouring of help and encouragement. Friends and family drove me to tests and treatments and spent nights with me. (Special thanks to Lynn, Connie,  Lianne, Robert, and Bill.) Others sent cards and gifts, and hundreds of people prayed for me and many of them sent good wishes over the internet.

Now the treatments are over. I'll need to have periodic tests and check ups for years to come to make sure the cancer is really gone, and I might have a partial loss of vision in that eye over time, but the worst is done.

However my gratitude to everyone who gave me help and support will probably last as long as I live.

Thanks to all of you.

Giving Thanks

 Like nearly everyone else who blogs, I'm mentioning giving thanks in today's blog post, but with a slight difference.  I'd like to share something I posted several years ago in September about some incidents I experienced. I hope reading that post will inspire others as remembering what happened still inspires me.

Here's the link:

http://onwordsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/giving-thanks.html

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.

Trouble on Earth Day

Why, you may ask, am I reviewing a book about Earth Day the day before Thanksgiving?

Trouble on Earth Day by Kathy Stemke is a cute picture book about a little squirrel who learns to appreciate and use what she has and to help someone else. What better time of year could there be to remind us all to do that?

Besides the appealing story and charming illustrations by Kurt Wilcken, the book includes many pages of activities to help kids appreciate the natural world and reuse things instead of discarding them. Some of those activities are projects kids could make that would be great Christmas presents.

So this is a perfect time of the year to get that book for kids.

Books That Change Lives

Someone in a Yahoo group I belong to recently posted something about a book she read at a difficult time in her life changing her attitude. Looking back, I can remember many books that made a difference in my life in similar ways, and I hope the things I write will do the same for others.

For example, my newly published book, Signs of Trouble, is an exciting story (I hope) but the included educational activities are intended to help kids learn safety and reading skills and to understand others with special needs.

However writers often never know how things they've written have influenced others. Sometimes even the readers themselves don't realize that something in a book or article has made a tiny difference that will ultimately combine with other influences to make a big change in their attitude or behavior.

When we are aware that something we read has helped us, if only in a small way, letting whoever wrote it know would make a positive difference in that author's own life.

Since this is the season of Thanksgiving why not send an e-mail message or even an old-fashioned letter to someone whose writing has been helpful to you?

Thanksgiving

Okay, I know it's trite but I can't resist blogging today about things I'm thankful for.

First there are the things I tend to take for granted but many people lack such as a roof over my head, adequate food to eat, and a much safer environment than lots of others in the world have.

My health isn't perfect, but it's better than it was for years.

And I'm very grateful to have had two books published this year. Even one would have been a dream come true because all my previously published work was in periodicals or compilations.

I've been keeping a blessing diary where every evening I write down at least three things I thank God for. Looking back over the months and seeing how frequently certain kinds of things are mentioned it's clear the ones I appreciate the most are relationships, especially with people I love; beauty, usually either the natural kind or the experience of reading good books; and managing to accomplish things, especially if those weren't easy.

What are you thankful for?

Quickie

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, lots of people are counting their blessings. Maybe instead of worrying about all the problems in the world we should do that every day.