appreciation

One of the most powerful gifts you can give someone is that of sincere appreciation. I don’t think I am alone in my wondering if what I do makes a difference, no matter how small the impact may be. There are so many things that we take for granted, or even that we expect as the minimum standard. When we go out to eat at a restaurant, we expect the people that serve us to be friendly, kind and attentive. We expect that the garbage will get picked up every week when we put the cans out. We expect our deliveries to arrive on time from Amazon. We expect our spouse or partner kiss us hello and goodbye. We expect there to be hot water when we turn on the shower. What do you think would happen if you got up early and met the trash collector to tell them thank you for helping to keep our community clean? Or if you called the manager over to tell them how much you appreciated the smile or kindness of your server? Or stopped your lover as they gave you the habitual kiss goodbye, looked them directly in the eyes, and told them how grateful you are to have them in your life?

We have so much to be grateful for, the mere fact that if you are reading this, you have access to electricity, internet, and so much more, is in itself something to pause and appreciate. I think that if one person makes a conscious effort to show appreciation to at least 2 other people, the ripple effect can be huge. So many people spend so much energy focusing on I, what I feel, what I want, what I think… that we forget how blessed we all are to be born in this time of incredible abundance and opportunity. I really believe that if we turn our focus to kindness, adjust the dial just a smidge, and start to show appreciation, the momentum we create will help to heal this world.