One of the first social rules we’re taught is to say “thank you.” From our earliest years, society insists upon “thank you” as a way to express gratitude and appreciation. It’s likely a daily ritual for most of us. Think about it: we say it aloud, we write it, we bow our heads, and insert prayer-hand emojis in our texts. We find ways to express gratitude and appreciation to everyone from the stranger bagging your groceries to your closest friends to God (and if you are not thanking your local grocer, you should be!) We thank our lucky stars and the heavens.
So particularly during this season and during this year, let’s acknowledge this ritual of gratitude, this ceremony of thanks, properly. Let it be not only a phrase, but a way of living. Let us consider what we pass along, so that each person experiences genuine, unconditional appreciation. There is so much to discard this year. But perhaps we can also learn to say thank you to pain, thank you to truth, thank you to those circumstances both good and bad for lessons we’ve learned.
Liz is a freelance writer for hire who offers ghostwriting, copywriting and blogging services. She lives in amazing Austin, Texas. She is a mother and step-mother, a coffee lover, and yoga enthusiast. She has a master’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and when she isn’t writing or mom’ing, she can be found working as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. Her specialty is parenting, communication disorders, healthy living, relationships, and personal/spiritual growth.