I couldn’t believe the man dropped his suitcase on my head. I stood in the aisle waiting for the gentleman to finish putting his roller bag in the overhead compartment so I could get into my airplane seat. Suddenly he spotted a beautiful, young blonde that was struggling with her own roller bag. He immediately let go of his precariously placed bag, which proceeded to drop directly onto my head. Without acknowledging my little yelp, he heroically pushed the young blonde’s bag in the overhead bin and offered to help her with her coat. I’m surprised he didn’t throw a towel over his arm and serve her dinner.
Here’s what I most noticed, however. After all of that testosterone-filled assistance, the young lady never said thank you. Granted, as I tried to determine if I needed a gurney to get my concussed body off the plane I didn’t feel a lot of sympathy for the man, but I felt some. The young girl had been struggling with her bag because she wouldn’t put down her phone long enough to use both hands. Continuing to talk on the phone as if it were her last call on death row, she failed to thank the man who had sacrificed the life of a fifty-year-old woman to help her.
As we enter our season of Thanksgiving, I just want to remind everybody that thank you matters. If someone opens a door for you, say thank you. If a co-worker covers your butt because you missed a meeting, say thank you. When a customer chooses your business over somebody else’s, let them know they’re appreciated by saying thank you.
Why is it so difficult do appreciate what someone else has done for us? Maybe:
- You appreciate somebody’s help so you assume that they know it through some kind of osmosis or ESP.
- You were so busy doing something else (like staring at your phone) you didn’t even make eye contact with the person who did something kind like opening a door for you.
- You think that thank you is one of those things only children are taught to say, so you figure your thank you years are up.
When we say thank you to others, we are reminded to give thanks for the good things in life. The last couple of years have been hard on everybody, and you might wonder why you should give thanks this year. Well, if you have food and shelter, you’re better off than about 87% of the people on this earth. So give thanks.
If you have people you love and people who love you, give thanks. I remember when my dad was in his last days of cancer and I visited him. I asked him how he could be so thankful after another round of chemotherapy. He said, “Because I woke up this morning and took a breath. I get one more day to share with the people I love.”
This week, give thanks. And to all of you that read my blogs and care enough to send inspiring comments, let me say thank you. You make writing a pure joy, and this Thanksgiving I will give thanks for each of you.