Those are two ways I usually express my gratitude for something someone has done for me or said to me.
I think sometimes, for me, I don’t slow down or stop to think about thanking the people who are around me all the time. Family, co-workers. I am go, go, go in the office and expect people to do the same!
I need to stop and reflect what someone does that makes me feel good or happy or satisfied the way something was done. Not just for something they say to me or do for me.
The words will be the same, but for different reasons.
Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.
To me, kindness is something that I try to apply daily in all situations and with all people. The way I talk to people, the tone of my voice, and whether I’m paying attention or have my eyes on my computer monitor while they are talking. It’s like Mother’s Day or my wedding anniversary. I always told me son and husband, “I don’t need the fluff because you two treat me with love all year long”.
Even things like holding a door open for someone at the post office when I’m leaving is something I naturally do. If I see someone coming across the street to the post office with a large package I their arms, I’ll wait and hold the door. They appreciate it and it makes me happy to help.
A random act would be a spur of the moment decision to be kind and I’ve done those as well, but they’re more private to me.
A blog I follow has a calendar for the month of May with one small task to complete each day.
May 1st is “Write Your Why”. SUCH A LOADED QUESTION!
I attempted to write it this morning but I didn’t get far. I took it as “Why do you live your life the way you do” and with that, I focused on myself. I described my why about being good to myself, to feel happy mentally and physically. It’s been an effort over the years to quiet my internal critic. I continued to think about it, feeling like maybe I’d lost the Why, because I have spent 35+ years focusing on my husband and son, and the clients in our business.
I googled it this afternoon and ran across a TED Talk by Johnson McDowell. He is a teacher in his 40s with a wife and young son and he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. It was caught early enough, a small tumor, and he was able to have Whipple surgery and is now on chemotherapy. He gave a talk, “Know Your Why”.
I was close – because the why is not a thing, the Why are the Who. The Who(s) you get up for every morning, live for, love. They are your spouse, children, parents if you have them still, siblings, and friends you haven’t seen in years. The second Who are the people in your life – in his case students, in my case everyone who makes our business work so well like employees, clients, vendors, and trade partners. That Who can also be myself as I originally wrote!
Now that I know my WHY are all the WHOs in my life, I will work to show them love and kindness. I will reach out to friends and family I have lost touch with. I will be of service to people who need me. Not only will I treat others with love and kindness, I will treat myself with love and kindness because I am definitely part of my why.
Thoughts From The Passenger Seat 