People used to send lovely little cards like the one above. No, not so long ago that the dinosaurs were roaming the earth but it seems like that long ago.
I think our "have to have it right now" mentality has made us hunger for immediate gratification and lose all respect for who provided for the gratification.
It wasn't during my childhood that I learned how important it was to show appreciation for what I received. However, it was during that time when I had absolutely nothing, that I learned how to be thankful for what I was given.
When I sat at the lunch table with my paper lunch sack in grade school, my only thought was that I hoped nobody saw I was eating a plain bread sandwich. One time when a boy in my class saw what I was eating, he generously gave me half his banana and chips. I savored every bite and was filled with gratitude. The next week I walked to the gas station and bought that little boy M&Ms with change I dug out of my piggy bank. At the time, it was the only way I had to show my appreciation for what he had done.
Of course, years later, I have learned that I can't buy M&Ms for everyone who does something I appreciate. However, I have also learned that I can never do anything better than showing that person how appreciative I am by just saying "Thank you."
For me, the most efficient way to do this is to send a thank you note. Occasionally when I have no stamps or note cards with me and I want to immediately share my heart or gratitude for an act of kindness, I will send an email or text message. That's definitely my least favorable form of communication in this area.
If someone sacrifices their time, energy, etc., I know that they deserve at least the few minutes it takes to sit down and jot down a genuine, from the heart thank you.
What I can't figure out is, what happened to this type of communication?
I've talked with friends about this very subject. Across the board, the thoughts are the same. There seems to be a general loss of respect and appreciation for people who go out of their way to give or sacrifice for others.
Please understand, this isn't me patting my own back but merely giving you an example of what I am talking about.
Last year at this time, my house was a disaster because of the remodel and we were on a limited budget. I also had very little time to do anything besides work on the remodel. One evening I put all of that aside to provide a meal for a family in need. I had to purchase food items, make the meal and deliver it. I was happy to do it. I was happy to sacrifice my own wants at the store, so that I could afford a full meal for a family of five. Because of the remodel, I had to wash every utensil and dish prior to cooking the meal. Time and financial sacrifice it was, but again...I was happy to do it.
The next week, month, and year have passed and I never heard anything from the family. No hint of appreciation during conversation, no thank you card, not one ounce of anything to encourage me to serve others in this way.
I think that gets to the heart of what the problem really is anyway. The signs of appreciation are what encourage me to continue doing something. When you feel good about something, you tend to want to do it more or at least know that you weren't completely off base with what you were trying to do.
Don't get me wrong, I have gotten thank you notes and cards from people. But it is definitely lopsided by a 30:1 margin. It makes me very sad. Not because I feel like I deserve any recognition or anything for that matter. But it makes me sad because the general population seems to have lost all sense of appreciation.
Whether it is a gift, random act of kindness, a meal, an encouraging word that changes your day...I challenge you to make a point of showing your appreciation in genuine ways, ways that acknowledge the sacrifice that was made for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment