Thankfulness

It's crazy what this world has come to when it pertains to acknowledgements. I took the time to pay special attention and acknowledge a group of my coworkers who volunteered their time and effort to test and look at things for a major project at work. They were all gifted with a handwritten note and a gift card. This was done of my own accord to show my appreciation for all that they did. Do you know the number of them that sent me thank you emails, showed up in my office, sent me texts, etc, to thank ME for the token of my appreciation? Probably at least half of them did this. I was floored.

Where have we come to when this comes as such a surprise? I think that even when you volunteer to assist with a project you should be thanked. And these people took a lot of time and effort to make this all possible. I did what I did so that they would know how much I appreciated them. To me it is one of the worst feelings in the world to be under-appreciated, and I don't ever want anyone to feel that way.

I won't say that I haven't ever made anyone feel woefully under-appreciated, but I am making a conscious effort to acknowledge people and their efforts. I will say that it gets me some strange looks and comments, and at times it makes people uncomfortable, but it's just the nature of who I am at this point. I will email you or text you to say thanks for that little moment or that time you gave me, because it really is that important to me. I like to think that those little moments may make a difference in a person's day. I know they certainly do in mine.