Skip to main content

#ThankfulThursday




It's easy to thank the people in our lives who have made a difference that we perceive as positive. 

For example, my sophomore history teacher made a huge difference in my life - through his stellar teaching I grew to love history and develop an interest in it - a lifelong love of it. 

Or Ellen DeGeneres. She, without knowing me and I not truly knowing her, has made a difference in my life with her examples of kindness, grace, and generosity. 

It's easy to thank those people. But what about the people who have been a negative participant in our lives?
What about thanking the people who have been sandpaper in our lives or like the stone in a shoe that we can't shake loose? I've been thinking about this the past couple of years as I've had to interact with some really unpleasant people who have, by their words and actions, reminded me how NOT to be. Really I owe them some gratitude. Of course, due to their behaviors if I send them a thank you note they would think they made a difference to me in a way that was complementary to them. I'm trying to decide if that matters or not. I've really considered writing notes to a few people thanking them for making a difference in my life without specifics. Do *you* have any thoughts on this?  

Well, regardless of whether I actually thank those unpleasant people in my life or not, I'm taking time today to be thankful for the things I did learn from them - the reminders they were to me about respecting others, selfishness, grace, etc. And I will, of course, make sure I reach out to the positive impacts in my life and thank them - that's a must! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Call it a Day

The literal use of this phrase hails from 1838 when the phrase originally was "call it half a day" to mean leaving work early. (source) The modern use of the phrase is to indicate ending something due to false sense of accomplishment. 

More bang for your buck

This phrase was used a lot in 1953 but an earlier citation puts it at 1940 in a Metals and Plastics Publications advertisement. Read about it here . The phrase means you get more for your money.

A dime a dozen

"It's said that in the year 1796, the first U.S. dimes were produced for circulation. Hence, it would make sense for this phrase to originate sometime after." Read more here .  Today the phrase carries the meaning that something is cheap or without value if it can be lumped in with other similar or exactly-like things. It's more of an insult than anything.