Showing Appreciation

R.a.n.t. of week 04/20/14

Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you reading my articles? Or when you leave a comment, or give it a 'thumbs up' or share? If not, let me take the time to do that now.

Thank you so much for reading my articles. Thanks for every time you leave a comment, give it a thumbs up or share it. You have no idea how much that means to me. I truly appreciate it.

Now that that's out of the way, what about showing appreciation to others for all they do for you or those you love? Unfortunately, we live in a society where thanks is not given freely. Granted, something small may not even require much thanks, if at all:
Person One: That'll be $3.55.
Person Two: Here's $5.00
Person One: Here's your change, $1.45.
Person Two: Thanks.

Did the person really need to say thanks? Something small and expected was done, so no. But it was still nice to hear, wasn't it? Let's take it a step up. What do you think of the following exchange?

Person One: Excuse me sir. When you paid the cashier, you dropped $5.00 on the ground. Here it is.
Person Two: THANKS!

One of those random acts of kindness we can still see today. Certainly, the appreciation was more intensified. It goes without saying, the more money dropped, the bigger the thanks.

A return of money, is hardly the only thing we can thank another person for.

Mother: You just coloured on the wall! Go stand in the corner till I figure out what to do with you!
Child: Okay, thanks mom.

Wait, no. That probably wouldn't happen. In fact, sometimes thanks may not even be given. A child is hardly going to thank their parent for correcting their wrong behaviour, at least not right away. But years down the road, the child may begin to realize what the punishments were all about. The parent loved the child so much, they wanted them to grow up and be a respectable adult. That's not something that comes easy when a child is never punished for wrongdoing. So that kind of appreciation may take years to be returned, if at all. Sometimes we appreciate a parent only years later and only in a passing reference:

Person One: Wow, look at that child. He is out of control.
Person Two: I know, the parent is just sitting there calmly eating fries as the child screams and runs into the other customers.
Person One: I'm glad my parents never let me get away with that when I was a child, how disrespectful.
Person Two: You should tell your mother that.
Person One: Nah, she knows.

Then there are the times a simple 'Thank You' is NOT appropriate. What are your thoughts on the following situation?

Customer: The food was great, our server was fantastic!
Server: Glad you appreciated the meal. Your bill comes to $19.00.
Custer: Here's twenty dollars. I should get a dollar change. Thanks for the service. Bye.

Did you spot what was wrong? If not, then you have probably never worked in the food industry.

To make a long r.a.n.t. short, there are so many things we can show appreciation for, but do we? Sometimes we don't even realize how much a kind word would be to hear for hard work someone has put into something they've done. Can you try using at least one of the following sentences this week to someone who you feel deserves it?

Thanks for being such a good friend/mother/father/son/daughter.
Thank you for listening to my problems.
Thanks for listening to all my problems and not dismissing me as a friend.
I love the (writing, photography, drawing, painting, projects, etc.etc) you spend so much time on. They brighten my day.
Thanks for making my breakfast/lunch/dinner. It was wonderful.
Thank you for saving the last piece of pizza for me.
Thanks for putting me in the corner when I drew on the walls when I was a child.
Thank you for letting me merge (you can show this with a nod, thumbs up or wave).
Thank you for putting up with all my crazy ideas that never seem to work.
Thank you for all those crazy ideas you do that never work, they make me laugh.
Thanks for trying to cheer me up with your jokes.
Thanks for being a positive person and not being a Debbie Downer.
Thanks for not being a Debbie Drop-In and calling before you come for a visit.
Thanks for checking up on me, even though you dropped in out of the blue, Debbie.
Thanks for keeping my life interesting.
Thanks for your helping me learn a new language.
Thank you for always being there for me.
Thank you for being a positive influence in my life.
Thanks for inviting me over to your humble abode. I had a wonderful time.
Thanks for helping me around the house, you've been a big help.
Thank you for writing this article, I think more people need to read this.
(Okay, you don't have to use that last one. Just seeing if you are paying attention).

Anyway, you'd be amazed how well these thoughts of appreciation will be received.
What have I missed? How many more ways can YOU think to show appreciation to someone?