The Power of A Thank You

I am a big fan of a thank you. I thank those who open doors for me, car drivers who stop to let me cross the road (even if it’s a zebra crossing and I have right of way!), I thank the postman, the bin man, the milkman - yes, we have a milkman and our milk is delivered in glass bottles, it brings me great joy, anyway I digress. I like to sprinkle my thanks like confetti wherever I go.

Sometimes these messages of gratitude are verbal - I can’t imagine the door openers would be too impressed if I stopped to ask them for their address so that I could write them a thanks - but where possible nothing brings me more joy than putting pen to paper and sending a note or card to say thank you. I still handwrite thank you cards for all of my Christmas and Birthday gifts, sometimes it takes a few weeks to get them done but I always get there in the end.

It’s so easy these days to drop someone a text message to say thanks and by all means, that is absolutely better than nothing, but my goodness, that feeling when an envelope drops on your doormat with your address handwritten on the front, immediately letting you know this isn’t a bill or a generic circular, but a piece of post that someone has taken time and effort to write, stick a stamp on and put in a post box. That, my friends, is a fantastic feeling. Why would you not want to invoke that feeling in someone else?

As I’ve said, thank you notes for birthdays and Christmas are a given in my world, but I’ve decided to take this one or two steps further and start sending some more ad-hoc messages of appreciation and thanks in the post for anything and everything. I thought you might like to join me in my mission to spread more thanks and so I’ve listed some of the people and occasions which might give you reason to grab that pen and paper.

Gifts

We’ve covered birthdays and Christmas, and if you haven’t indulged in a bit of thank you note writing on these occasions I would highly recommend this as a starting point. It doesn’t have to be an essay, a simple couple of lines to literally say thank you, and maybe ask after the wellbeing of the recipient is all you need to brighten their day.

Once the big occasions are covered, think about the other gifts you receive, both big and small. Friends who pass on clothes, books, garden tools (I need all the help I can get in this category!) or anything else which comes your way, all deserve a thank you. The community where I live is very big on passing on all sorts of items that are no longer wanted, I recently acquired the Complete Works of Dickens from a lady living down the road from me, turned out she had two sets! Invariably we collect said items and so there’s nothing to stop me popping a note through the door to say thanks the next time I’m passing by.

Food

Whether you’ve met a friend for dinner, been to someone’s house for a cuppa and a slice of cake, or a neighbour has brought you a pint of milk to tide you over when you’ve broken your ankle and can’t get out and about, anyone who has played a part in ensuring you’ve remained fed and watered, or who has taken time out of their inevitably busy schedule to spend an hour or two in your company is definitely worthy of a thank you through their letterbox.

Time

We’ve all got those people whose ears we bend when we need to have a rant, a cry or just use as a sounding board. My people know who they are. Well why not pop them a line or two in the post to show your appreciation for the time they give you.

Pet/Child Care

You know those times when you’ve asked your neighbour if they can pop in and feed the cat while you’re away, or when you’ve got one too many kids’ activities to juggle and you have to pull in a favour from a fellow parent? You know what’s coming, drop them a note to say thanks. Trust me, it will make their day.

I think you’ve probably got the gist now. Hopefully I’ve provided you with sufficient inspiration to join me in sending some more thank you notes out into the universe. These notes can be written on any old scrap of paper, but if you fancy upping your note-writing game, feel free to head to my Etsy shop and check out my specifically designed thank you notecards. Printed with gold foil, they are sure to make your chosen recipient feel even more appreciated!

Thank You Notecards | Gold

Thank You Notecards Set

Thank You Notecard Closeup

There are many different types of thank you. Whether they are grand gestures, or the simplest of spoken words, it matters not, what matters is that these thank yous are given in abundance.

Thanks for reading.

Sarah x