One day I opened an email from my friend Linda. Subject: appreciating you.
In the body of the email, she told me that during the season of Lent she would always give something up, but this year she decided to do a different discipline. Each day, she was focusing on the appreciation of one person who has meant something special in her life. Today was her day for appreciating our long friendship. She went on to list the many aspects of our relationship throughout the years, and how it made a positive difference in her life.
To receive that note was a true gift and it allowed me to respond as to how much I valued her friendship and the many paths of our lives together.
Linda’s note made me think that all of us don’t spend the time reaching out to those that we appreciate in our lives. Not just our family members, but a wide range of people who touched us in some way over the years.
It led me to send a note to my 90-something-year-old English teacher, Dick Price, who had a huge influence on me in high school. He was instrumental in my decision to head to New York to pursue a publishing career. The note I got back from him brought tears to my eyes.
It’s such a simple gesture to reach out, yet can have such a profound impact on someone’s day.
When we are in the second half of our lives, we have a sharper understanding of the importance of our relationships. They are what matter more than anything else, as they are the fuel that will sustain us. So reach out to someone who has been important in your life. Just say thank you. Just say that you appreciate them and tell them why.
Thank you Linda for such a simple, yet impactful idea. I’m now integrating more appreciation days into my own life.
