For those of us in the United States November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. For many it is a day spent with family and friends, enjoying a small feast and giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives. It is a time to remember how amazing life is and how fortunate we truly are.
This feeling of gratitude doesn’t have to be reserved for the day you eat pumpkin pie though. Acknowledging what we are thankful for doesn’t have to be limited to when we go around the table and share a few words before chowing down. What if you accepted a dare today to show a certain group of people that they are appreciated?
I am talking about the service industry, the waiters, bank tellers, gas station attendants, receptionists, front desk agents, grocery clerks, librarians and baristas that provide us with excellent customer service on a daily basis. For many, the busiest time of the year is coming up and often their jobs become more harried while the pay stays the same. What if you decided to extend gratitude in a tangible way to the people who make life a little easier for you?
In my previous Grace in Action post I dared my readers to send out five random postcards with the sole intent of making the people who received them smile. Today I am challenging you all once again to make a small effort to let some hard working people know what they do matters and is noticed.
I dare you to buy three flowers. An inexpensive choice is always a carnation but it can be anything you desire. Just buy and give out three flowers during the next week or so, before the busy holidays, and hand them out to three people that excel at their job and provide a service during your day. You can attach a small card or just hand it over with a smile and a simple thanks for all you do. Make sure you note the look of surprise on the person’s face before their own smile appears. I think that’s the best part!
Let’s get rid of the excuses for not taking this dare to heart.
If you can’t afford three flowers this week, forgo one double latte and buy a single blossom.
If you are shy or feel silly, do it anonymously.
If you can’t think of anyone to share it with, leave it in your mailbox with a note for the postman to find.
If you think something as ordinary as a flower doesn’t make a difference, imagine if someone handed you one right now and thanked you for the great job you do.
Over the next few months many people in customer service deal with frustrated shoppers, frenzied travelers, and testy clients. If they are lucky maybe it all comes with a bonus at Christmas or a tip handed over in a card for services rendered. I like the idea of kicking off this season for them with a big thank you in advance and maybe, just maybe, when a grumpy patron isn’t so lovely in the days to come they remember the tiny bloom you passed along and are a little more patient knowing what they do is valued. A paycheck is earned for doing the job. The flower is given to remind them they are more than just someone who performs a job.
Will you join me in this? Will you step out of your routine, and perhaps your comfort zone, and once again take a moment to create a moment? Let’s not let Thanksgiving be just for loved ones on a Thursday. Let’s have it include the people we are grateful for day in and day out who take care of our needs with that certain extra something. Let’s not just say it but show it in a small and lovely way.
Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher
Thought to ponder: What are you putting your soul into today?
I love this dare and I will take it on!! Love and Grace in action.
I am sooooooooo glad it inspired you!!
Hi Emma! What a beautiful concept. Being thankful is always a great idea but actually demonstrating it with a visible gesture is even better. I’m always in favor of stepping out of my routine.
You can count on me, I’ll be giving out some flowers this week. I’m totally looking forward to it.
Gorgeous post! Loving blessings!
Andrea DeBell – britetalk recently posted..Great Masters Right Under Your Nose
Thanks so much and I am tickled pink you will be sharing the love this week. I am getting my flowers on Friday and handing them out around town.
What a lovely concept…from a lovely person! I wish I had thought of it first.
Nonetheless, by golly, I think I’ll try it!
Jennifer Brown Banks recently posted..October is Diversity Awareness Month!
Yayyyy…I just have this vision of flowers and smiles and everything good! Thank you.
I’m absolutely thrilled with your post Emma. We are here to share respect and happiness and love with all people but particularly the people who help us in so many different ways in the service industry.
How can I respect myself if I don’t respect the people who serve me coffee in the coffee shop or who fix my car or who instal a new furnace in my house?
If I am graced with happiness from the fountain of my own being how can I not share that happiness with all I meet but especially people such as you evoke here?
Christopher Foster recently posted..6 steps to contentment — your “natural wealth”
Awww, Christopher…you SO SO get it and you share that grace with all you come in contact with. Thanks for the brand of happiness you share with us all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I really love this dare – and I like your suggestion for those who feel a bit shy or awkward to do it anonymously.
I will join you in this
Aileen recently posted..Infuse Your Life With Momentum
*smiles* I had a feeling you’d be game for it!! Thanks, Aileen, for spreading the love.
Hi Emma,
I did the postcards and I’m passing out the flowers. You have such small powerful ideas. Keep ‘em coming;)
Right on, Tess! You are another one I had a feeling would be on board for spreading some love and gratitude around. Uh huh!!
Dear Emma, I have been meaning to come back here to tell you how much this post touched me. I had been skipping out on my yoga class – this particular one with a teacher who is so attached to all of us and especially me – from travel to work to cycling, you name it – tonight, on returning after over a month, I took her some lilies.
What a fantastic idea, she is an amazing teacher and is hardly ever recognized for it. I think she almost forgave me for the absence too. THANK YOU!
Farnoosh recently posted..From Fear to Motivation in 22 Radical Thoughts
Farnoosh, ya lovely girl you, how wonderful of you to share your act of love and generosity here! Thank YOU for seeing the power in a flower and following your heart and sharing the joy with another. Since I cannot shower you with a bouquet right now I will just take this moment to appreciate how you share your spirit in the world. Keep shining bright and letting us bask in your glow.
hello cc
how are you?
reading this brought back memories of working in a call center as a support staff for a broadband company. you’ve got to be patient dealing with customers. there was always a sense of pride when you resolved the problem and the customers were genuinely grateful for the service offered.
i will take up your challenge and do it anonymously lol!!!. it’s important we develop the habit of appreciating people for who they are, the work they do and how they make our lives simpler.
it’s definitely a rewarding and refreshing feeling to put a smile on the face of someone.
take care and have a lovely weekend.
ayo recently posted..Coping With Disappointment
Hello Ayo!
Isn’t it remarkable how gratitude can make everything sparkle just a bit more, turning a job into true service? Love how you summed that up and how you are going to make people smile this week. How rich you must feel knowing happiness comes from delighting others. All the very best to you.
I like how you came up with backup strategies for any excuses
I think it’s these kind of acts that spread good will that bring folks together.
J.D. Meier recently posted..The Secret of Confident People
I have a horrid habit of coming up with excuses so I try to bust them all before they even take hold.
Flowers and gratitude do bring folks together…as do thoughtful blog comments.
Thank you.