Your Mother Was Right

December 1st, 2011 by Lora Dow

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By Lora Dow

Tell me if this sounds familiar…

Mom: Did you write out that thank you note to your grandparents?

12-year-old Me: I told them thank you when they gave me the present!

Mom: Still, you should send them a thank you note.

12-year-old Me, sulkily: Why?

Mom: Because it’s a little gift you can give back to them after the wonderful gift they gave you.

Mom was right.

Saying “thank you” comes automatically to most of us. We smile and say thanks to the barista who makes us a coffee. The bottom of our invoices say “thank you for your business!” We prompt our children with “what do you say?” expecting them to chirp “thank you!” lest they make us look like bad parents.

But we’ve all experienced times when a thank you really touches us, surprises us, brings a smile to our faces years after the fact. Saying thank you in a genuine and unexpected way cuts through the noise of day-to-day life. It’s a gift you give back.

As I was thinking about this, I decided to do a quick search on Twitter for “thank you.” These are just a few of things people tweeted that afternoon:

It doesn’t matter how you say it, but take that extra moment to say “thanks” and really mean it. A few extra seconds of your time could bring happiness to someone for years to come. How do I know? Oh… maybe because I’ve had this thank you note from a boss, mentor and friend on my desk for nearly 10 years now…