Appreciation

In this age of disgust and mockery, I’m not sure we remember how to appreciate?

Do you appreciate waking up every morning? You should. Even if you have a cold or aches and pains or even late for work, you’ve beaten the grim reaper one more day.

It seems we jump into hyper-drive with out electronics, communications, confusion and speed into the world, grab a biter on the run and can’t wait to get to the next crisis. Multi-tasking distracts us from appreciation what is going on around us.

“I love you” may be a phrase thrown out leaving or sending off but the time isn’t spent to appreciate those three words.

We show our appreciation of a concert by applauding and buying a tee shirt or a good meal by leaving a tip for the waitperson but do we appreciate the people behind the scenes who make it all happen?

We say ‘thank you’ to the butcher for a special cut but do we show the same appreciation to the guy stocking the produce or bagging the groceries? It is not difficult to show appreciation to the folks how remove your trash or patch your potholes or protect your home at night. We call our soldiers ‘heroes’ but what about the janitor?

“It is their job”, you say? Do you get appreciated for the effort you make at your employment? You are compensated by a paycheck but when did you get a ‘Thank You’?

Getting appreciated makes us smile. It helps our ego. For a moment a pat on the back can make our day better. Even the banquet dinners and plaques and speeches will be put away as only a reminder.

Who shows you appreciation? Well your family has to because you have the same name. Your friends appreciate you because you are comfortable to be with and bring something to the conversation. Your staff hopefully appreciates you for they see you are trying to make the work environment better and thus more profitable for the company and themselves. Your spouse maybe appreciates you if you take out the trash on time and pick up your dirty underpants.

Appreciation should be genuine. Like a wimpy handshake people can tell when there are fake emotions.

How many cut the lawn and trim the bushes and plant the flowers to then sit and appreciate their efforts. The appreciation isn’t just about the neighbors saying, “Your lawn looks great”. It is a sense of accomplishment but more to know the grass will grow taller and the leaves will need raking and the bushes trimming and to assist nature it shows appreciation in the attention.

When on vacation we pause to take in the sunsets, the sounds of the waves, the children’s laughter. The food taste better and laughter is pervasive and the body and mind relax.

Yet the sun sets everyday and the children still laugh but we don’t seem to appreciate life?

Thank you for reading. I appreciate it.