This I Believe

The Power of a Real Thank You

I believe in the power of a Real thank you. Not that every day thank you, which you toss out to the cashier who gave you change, or the man who held the door for you. The thank you, you share, and sometimes forget to show the people who impact your life the most. The people who helped you become who you are today.

All through growing up I have been taught good manners. You say please when you ask for something and thank you when you receive it. As I have gotten older, I have started to ask myself how do I want to be perceived by others? My answer, to be a person who understands that people aren’t obliged to help me, I should always be gracious to those who support me and show my appreciation. It’s easy to be polite to strangers it’s the people closest to you that you forget to thank. For me that is my family, especially my father.

When I was younger I was a happy go lucky kid, I followed my older sister around just like a typical annoying little sister would. My mom was my best friend and my dad was my hero. But as time went on and puberty hit, a wall was built between me and my family. I expected things to be handed to me and never thought about where the time or money came from. My mom was great, she would always volunteer to drive my friend’s and I everywhere to ensure my popularity. Every birthday party was exactly how I would hope. My parent’s always gave me support in anything I wanted to do. I know they we’re just doing their job to be good parents, but I’m sure they would have liked me to acknowledge their effort’s and to say thank you. I know this especially bothered my father and it created a lot of fights and tension between us. So here I am today grown up and realizing how lucky I am and that I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for them. I know my mom knew I was thankful our relationship has always been strong it was my father that I wanted to know how much I appreciated him.

I put this feeling into action when I went home for Christmas this year. Christmas at my house is always the same every year. The tree isn’t up until the day before Christmas eve. Mom is out shopping till ten at night for last minute gifts, and my sister who still lives with my parent’s is hiding out in her room that leaves me and my dad. He’s usually grumpy because dinner isn’t served yet and I’m usually on the phone with friends back home. But not this year, first I cooked dinner for my mom so my dad would be happy and she could get shopping done. I also spent a lot more time with him doing things that he enjoyed like playing pool and asking him to teach me how to hit a golf ball in our backyard. I could see that it made him happy that I wanted to spend time with him, it had been so long since we had really enjoyed each other’s company. I became comfortable with my dad which sounds silly, but I really didn’t know how to communicate with him before. I knew things were definitely different when one night while my father was on the phone I came over and did something I hadn’t been able to do unless it was to say hello or goodbye. I gave him a hug. A hug that to me meant thank you for being there and always being there. That trip home has changed my relationship with my father. We talk on the phone so much more and E-mail each other to. I ask him for advice and he tells me that he’s proud of me. I can also tell that he doesn’t mind helping me out so much anymore.

After my experience with my dad I have put this belief to the test in other areas of my life. It’s on a much smaller scale but it still changes the reaction you get from people. I think when you show your gratitude in a more genuine way it motivates people to do more and feel good about helping others. Appreciation is a forgotten practice in society. I do my best to practice it whenever I can. Because it’s never to late to say thank you