Thank you. Two simple words made up of the same number of syllables. If you played the words in Scrabble, you would only receive 18 points, but then again, your opponents would wipe it away since you are not allowed to play two words. To speak these words take less than a second – I actually timed it and they take less than half of a second. Two simple words and yet powerful words. Words that can change a person’s day and even the world.
We teach our children to say please. In our house, if our daughter comes up and states, “I want…”, we immediately correct her questioning where the word please went. She corrects herself and asks again with that oh so magic word. Then, once that word appears, we are willing to give in to her request. She takes it and moves on with life. Often we hear the thank you. Other times, she takes and goes. The problem is that we are too busy to notice when the Thank You comes. She does it more often than not, but do we really notice? Not only has she moved on, but so have we. We aren’t as concerned with being given the gratitude for having completed a request. I have noticed the same throughout other areas.
Think about the last time you held a door open for somebody whether you stopped your transition through the door or held it instead of letting it close on a person. How often did that person pass through the portal to the other side without even noticing that you took time from your life to be kind. What about when you allowed that driver to cut in front of you after they forgot (or not) to move into the turning lane so that they could stay on their course? Did a hand come up in a friendly wave?
I know that as children we are taught not to do kind things for the recognition or acknowledgement, but to do it to be kind to one another. My parents told me that no matter how often you do something kind and the other person doesn’t even know it, I was supposed to keep on doing it. I continue to this day as an honor to what my parents taught me.
But now I ask each reader to think about this. How many times have we allowed others to do things for us and we accepted the gesture and moved on. People do not due it out of spite or even to be rude (well some do). We are so busy moving from one place to another, we are busy worrying about that next task, the to do list, the next stop on our busy day. I truly believe in people and believe that if people could look back at the number of times that they took without say Thank you embarrassment would run amok.
We Catholics are in the middle of the Lenten season. For most, it is a time to give something up – a sacrifice. This year I have been struggling with what that thing should be. What would be my sacrifice? What is the thing I could give up? The thing about Catholics today is that Lent is not always about giving up, but changing so that we do good for others. I started last week, I am not sure if it has been noticed (then again if I do it right – it shouldn’t be noticed). I am trying hard to say thank you for anything that someone does for me. That something could be big where somebody helps me rewrite a plan for work. It could be simple as someone holding the door of the elevator. It could be as small as someone just telling me to have a nice day. It matters not. Thank you is now going to be my mantra.
I want to challenge others. During this last year, I have watched my friends be polarized by what has been happening around this country – this world. I understand that each and every person has their thoughts and their beliefs. That is fine. What I am asking is that when somebody, I don’t care who, does something for you do not walk away until those two little words, less than half a second of your life, comes out….Thank you.
You just never know what acknowledging another human being might do for that person. You may change the worst day of their life into one not so bad. Take the time to look at each other and appreciate the good things that we do for each other.
So thank you. Thank you one and all. Those who read my ramblings. Those who help me at my job. Those who love me and put up with me. The one person who chose to marry me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for meandering with me.