I’m big on the idea of saying the words. 💖THANK YOU! I say thank you to my husband when he 🍽cooks dinner. He’s a much better cook than I am, so I’m super thankful whenever he’s in the kitchen! I say thank you when my students turn in their 📝papers. I say thank you to the checkers at the store. I say thank you to the stranger who holds open the 🚪door. I’m the gal who thanks the officer for writing my ticket.
It’s important. So simple. So ⏰quick. Yet, so easily forgotten. Here’s a funny thing about that phrase. I notice when 😀people say the words, and I also notice when 😔people don’t speak the words. How about you?
Do you ever go to ChikFilA? I’ve been going there way too often lately because they have 🧀macaroni-n-cheese now. Have you tasted it? Holy moly! That’s another topic, but you really need to get a cup of that stuff! Anyway, those folks know how to respond to the phrase. You say, “Thank you.” Some adorable ChikFilA employee will come right back with, “My pleasure.” 💖Every. Single. Time. That’s how you do it, people. 🎉Respect and appreciation going both ways!
Throughout my days in the classroom, I pass out a whole lot of stuff. 📝Worksheets. 📚Books. Graded papers. From time to time, I pass out 🍬candy. Maybe it’s my way of saying THANK YOU for a job well done. Perhaps it’s a way to say THANK YOU for helping with a chore in the room. Most students say THANK YOU as I come around with the candy 🍭bag. Others just take a piece without saying anything. Still, there’s always at least one kiddo who asks, “Can I take two?” Another typically responds with something like, “I don’t like Lifesavers (or Hershey Kisses or DumDum suckers or whatever I’m passing out). Can I have something else?”
Those are what we refer to in the teaching or parenting business as a 😇Teachable Moment. I’m never mad at a kiddo for those responses. Why would I be upset? After all, it’s not a crime to dislike the type of 🍬candy or wish you could have more than one. I know I’d want to have more than one, especially if it involved 🍫dark chocolate. Instead, I remind my sweet students that the proper response would have been a simple 💖THANK YOU or even NO, THANK YOU. As much as we hope they already know this, some kids need to be reminded of common courtesy.
Heck- some adults need to be reminded. Even though I try to remember to say 💖THANK YOU in every interaction, I guarantee that I forget. Maybe I was looking at my 📱phone. Maybe I was distracted by my own thoughts. Maybe I was having a 🙃stressful day and just not feeling it. None of those excuses are good enough, though. I should always say 💖THANK YOU. Even when I wished for a peppermint instead of a caramel. Even when I don’t 😬feel it. Even when I don’t know the other person. Especially when someone- ANYONE- does something kind, no matter how small it may seem.
Those words mean a lot. 💖THANK YOU means that you are valued. It means that you are recognized for your efforts. It says that someone noticed you. Don’t we all want to be noticed? I’m not too proud to admit that I want to be ❤️appreciated. I want to know that I matter- that the actions I take matter.
We’re all sharing this 🌎space. How about we make sure that we send out the ❤️love to those around us? A simple THANK YOU does it. What if…we remembered to say THANK YOU? Those two words have the power to change someone’s life…maybe even yours.💖
Thank you for reading this- and just for being YOU!☺️
sharing the stairs 