I married well. Almost too well. If you have met my wife – or know her family – you can validate the accuracy of this statement. One basis for this perspective is the weekly tradition of family dinner. On all but a handful of Sundays (literally only a handful), we gather to break bread, connect as blood, share our experiences and look ahead to upcoming events. Proceeding these gourmet affairs (of course everyone is an exemplary cook, one being French Master Chef @BernardLiberatore), we all hop on the family chat and thank the hosts. Often the host will retort “No, thank you!” To which we all chuckle into the text ether.
This anecdote exemplifies the spirit of social gratitude.
I believe this spirit resides in most humans. Certainly those who have taken a moment’s moment to reflect upon the influential people in their world, the do-gooders, the helpers and the hosts. Often the grander the instance, the more commensurate the display of gratitude – a text the morning after a dinner party, an email after a productive business meeting, a team gift to acknowledge a profitable transaction (no, thank you, @LisaCrafford). Knowing my audience, no reader here is stranger to these expressions of thanks.
The challenge comes when seeking to push out from the comfort zone of standard shows of gratitude. One year, part of my goal setting included a target of drafting one thank you per week. The rules were simple: send a note of thanks to some character in my life, specifically calling out a facet of the relationship I was thankful for. The catch: it could not be in response to a recent event or kindness, but rather I sought to dig deep into my past and recognize my old friends, early mentors, long lost relatives, and elementary school teachers who helped shape me and were additive to my journey. Nearly every note was reciprocated with a thank you for my thank you. And that, precisely, was my ultimate intention. Stoking the spirit of gratitude.
It’s easy for us to reflect upon people from our past in solitude, and leave it there. Slightly better for us to share a memory of those people with our current posse. More better still to type out an email or text acknowledging special folks directly, and, perhaps brightening their day.
The best – IMHO – is to wiggle a pen on paper, slap a stamp on an envelope and have another human hand-deliver the note across the miles.
Regardless the mode you choose, the spirit awaits.
Il Punto: Imagine the magnitude of positivity generated for all parties involved to share such an act. Both addictive and engaging, you’ll see. “Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. All the magical things you can do…” No, thank you!
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