I was recently reading a book about raising your kids to be mindful of manners. It's called Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners: A Parent's Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind, Considerate Children. I only read the first section as that section stops at 12 months. (I plan to pick it back up in the fall to read the next section, starting at 13 months.) I LOVED it. Now, of course, I do have 'a thing' for manners, etiquette, and all things Emily Post, so it's possible that I enjoyed the book more than you would, but anyways, that's not what I'm writing about.
In one of the chapters, it encouraged using the "Magic Words" when speaking to your children, even before they can speak themselves, because it'll become habit for you and likely will for them when they do get to speaking. Well, even though I have a thing for etiquette, I didn't immediately know what the authors were referring to. I had to use the paragraph's context to understand what they were encouraging me to do. I was like "oh! saying 'please' and 'thank you!' <insert forehead smack>"
I recently coordinated a community-wide weekend of yard sales for Park Forest (my neighborhood), and well, ....perhaps I need to give some background... I used to be involved in my neighborhood's community organization as Secretary and Event Coordinator (it was kinda like an HOA, but voluntary, and not about rule-setting, but community-building). The President then moved and the Treasurer resigned (unrelated incidents), and that left the organization hanging by a thread. Me. So, after much time and many requests for help, I changed the bank accounts, changed websites (created my first one!) and email accounts. Everything is now solely in my hands. That fact is something that I don't exactly mind, I mean, I took it on of my own free will, but it does get tiring sometimes.
Eventually I decided that we needed to have some sort of event, and figured that something that allowed people to be involved at their comfort level is how we should go. I created a survey and a community-wide weekend of sales was determined (by the neighborhood at large) to be a good idea. I moved forward. I created flyers (and recruited help to deliver them to all 250 homes!), posted it on our website, emailed about it, had a friend post it on Craigslist, and then sat back to watch it happen. A lot of people participated, and I'd say overall the event was a huge success for our first attempt. And then I got the email.
A Park Forest resident emailed me the details of her sale, that she had decided to not do one herself again next year, but that she hopes we do it as a community again as she'd like to participate instead as a buyer. And then she wrote: "...so I hope this becomes a yearly success. Thanks for all your efforts." I must have read that last line 30 times! I just kept looking at it over and over and over again. It made me teary-eyed. I hadn't set out to do this for the thanks or 'reward' in it. I had done it because building neighborly-ness in my community is one of my biggest passions. I almost felt as if I was doing it more for myself than for others. It felt almost selfish! And yet, here in this email, this woman (whom I've never met) was melting my heart by one simple line: Thanks for all your efforts.
I wrote her back and said that I sincerely appreciated her thanks, and that while unnecessary, they were really appreciated. Her reply was again short and sweet "I don't know why people don't say it more often." Seriously, that was her entire email. She didn't address me, she didn't sign her name, nothing. Just those words. And, yet, again, I can't stop re-reading the email, and it's been heavy on my heart all day. She implies a good question, I think... Why don't we say/write it more often? I mean, how long did it take her? 5 seconds? This woman doesn't know me (and I don't know her), and yet, by writing 5 little words to me, she's made my week!
I guess they really are Magic Words.
In one of the chapters, it encouraged using the "Magic Words" when speaking to your children, even before they can speak themselves, because it'll become habit for you and likely will for them when they do get to speaking. Well, even though I have a thing for etiquette, I didn't immediately know what the authors were referring to. I had to use the paragraph's context to understand what they were encouraging me to do. I was like "oh! saying 'please' and 'thank you!' <insert forehead smack>"
I recently coordinated a community-wide weekend of yard sales for Park Forest (my neighborhood), and well, ....perhaps I need to give some background... I used to be involved in my neighborhood's community organization as Secretary and Event Coordinator (it was kinda like an HOA, but voluntary, and not about rule-setting, but community-building). The President then moved and the Treasurer resigned (unrelated incidents), and that left the organization hanging by a thread. Me. So, after much time and many requests for help, I changed the bank accounts, changed websites (created my first one!) and email accounts. Everything is now solely in my hands. That fact is something that I don't exactly mind, I mean, I took it on of my own free will, but it does get tiring sometimes.
Eventually I decided that we needed to have some sort of event, and figured that something that allowed people to be involved at their comfort level is how we should go. I created a survey and a community-wide weekend of sales was determined (by the neighborhood at large) to be a good idea. I moved forward. I created flyers (and recruited help to deliver them to all 250 homes!), posted it on our website, emailed about it, had a friend post it on Craigslist, and then sat back to watch it happen. A lot of people participated, and I'd say overall the event was a huge success for our first attempt. And then I got the email.
A Park Forest resident emailed me the details of her sale, that she had decided to not do one herself again next year, but that she hopes we do it as a community again as she'd like to participate instead as a buyer. And then she wrote: "...so I hope this becomes a yearly success. Thanks for all your efforts." I must have read that last line 30 times! I just kept looking at it over and over and over again. It made me teary-eyed. I hadn't set out to do this for the thanks or 'reward' in it. I had done it because building neighborly-ness in my community is one of my biggest passions. I almost felt as if I was doing it more for myself than for others. It felt almost selfish! And yet, here in this email, this woman (whom I've never met) was melting my heart by one simple line: Thanks for all your efforts.
I wrote her back and said that I sincerely appreciated her thanks, and that while unnecessary, they were really appreciated. Her reply was again short and sweet "I don't know why people don't say it more often." Seriously, that was her entire email. She didn't address me, she didn't sign her name, nothing. Just those words. And, yet, again, I can't stop re-reading the email, and it's been heavy on my heart all day. She implies a good question, I think... Why don't we say/write it more often? I mean, how long did it take her? 5 seconds? This woman doesn't know me (and I don't know her), and yet, by writing 5 little words to me, she's made my week!
I guess they really are Magic Words.
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