Basic

The phone rang, I recognized the name so even though it was late I picked up. This was a very good decision.

“What’s up?”

“I was just telling a friend how much you had helped me today and I thought the best thing to do was to stop talking to her and to tell you. And to say thank you.”

“Wow, thank you, you’ve made my day… seriously, thank you.”

And there you go, it is just that simple.

Her taking the time to share those thoughts with me changed everything. A day fraught with stresses faded away. A sense of purpose was reestablished. A lovely reminder of what counts. A reminder of what really matters.

Yes, we should all have a healthy sense of self-worth. We shouldn’t need to be praised and fawned over. This isn’t about a crazy need to have your ego stroked.

A sincere giving of thanks directed at you can feel really good.

You try to be kind and helpful. It’s just the basic living of a life. To get kudos for it is a lottery win.

All too often we are given critiques and boundaries. All the “should” and “should nots.” The people around us tend to take things for granted. We are all so busy. Who has time to say “thank you” when there are so many things to correct?

And then the phone rings and you are reminded how good it feels to be appreciated.

Pretty basic.