Appreciation

lately i've been seeing a severe lack of appreciation, people taking other people for granted, not realizing the great person they have in front of them, etc, etc, etc. it's amazing to me how DUMB people are sometimes. what the hell?!

and the most maddening part of it all is that there's nothing you can do about it! which brings me to point #1: it takes behavioral change on the part of the inconsiderate to see the err of their ways, and they're the only ones that can do that. damn!

that's not to say other people don't get it. my boss surprised me this wk when he started by midyear review by asking me what we could change about my job to make it better.

WHAT?! change? really?

you should know that my big problem w/my job (among other things) is how i feel like my work is horribly unappreciated. i know my contributions are small in the grand scheme of things, but i'm sick of being taken for granted and getting hollow 'thank yous' as a cover.

you should also know i consider myself - as far as bosses go - very lucky. mine gave me a 3 mos leave of absence, and unless there's a birth, death, or doctor's note, that just doesn't happen.

this was our first discussion on what we could do to make me FEEL better while working there, and i was totally floored. which brings me to point #2: it takes so little to be kind. we didn't come up w/any concrete solutions (see point #1), but just the fact that he asked made me feel better. and then today he sent me a short note from the road that was so thoughtful i almost cried. for the first time since returning to work in Sept, i really felt valued.

for me, it's the small things that count the most. appreciate who you have, and then tell them.