Saying Thank You

Today for Gratitude Week, Michelle wants us to say "Thank You."

 

I don't think it's a difficult thing to say most of the time.  I probably thank people a hundred times a day - for holding a door, emptying the trash in my office, and so many other things.  To be honest, I try to remember to say it sincerely, but sometimes it's a rote thing.  But I tell myself that at least I *do* say it.

One of my favorite plays in the world is "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder.  And the part that always puts me over the top emotionally is the scene where the young girl who has died gets the chance to see one ordinary day in her life again.  And she watches as everyone goes about their routines, fixing meals, going to work and school, asking where something is - the minutiae of everyday existence.  And all she can say is "Why aren't we LOOKING at each other?"  And every time I read that line (which I have paraphrased but you get the gist), it hits me right in the gut.  Because it's true.  We spend so much time talking and questioning and hurrying, and everything else that we don't look to see what we have.  

This is not a criticism.  It's just a truth.  And we all do it, most of the time unconsciously.  Wilder says, "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."  Life, work, the world, so many other things just grab our attention all of the time.  But when we are suddenly forced to stop and look/think/feel about what we have, is generally almost always what can make us feel better.  At least, it does that for me.

For all of the awful, sad, unfortunate things that have happened in my life, I have a weird gratitude because all of them made me realize how lucky I am.  And sometimes you need a kick in the pants for your heart to become "conscious of your treasures."

But anyway, I digress.  The people I wanted to say Thank You to are those of you reading this.  Because you are here, you are reading and sometimes commenting, and though I appreciate it more than I can say, I seldom think to say Thank You.  

I started this blog - and have kept writing it - mostly for myself, and partly because at the beginning I wanted to sign up for a Ravelry swap and you had to have a blog to participate.  Back then, there were a lot of people who read and commented who were friends of mine in real life, not in cyberspace, and who by now have stopped blogging altogether, or have moved on to other ways of participating in the fiber world.  So for a while, I was just writing this for myself.

And then all of you showed up and I had a new bunch of friends.  People who were just out there and who I didn't necessarily know otherwise.  And you had nice things to say, or answers to questions, or you sympathized or laughed at one of my lame jokes.  I would read your blogs and find out about what made you tick as well.

Basically, you save my life every day.  Because you show up and let me know that even if I'm lonely, I'm not alone.  Even if I'm sad, it's OK.  No one gets irritated if I rant (or if you do, you just move on and don't lecture me about it!).  We can laugh about the same stupid, funny, or just unfortunate things.  You answer questions without being preachy or condescending.  And you don't complain about my crummy photography skills.

That's just for starters, by the way.

THANK YOU.

Have a good weekend, everyone!