This Is Why I Say “Thank You” So Often
Just the other day, someone said to me that I use the phrase ‘thank you’ very often. I thought about it for a second and found that yes, I do.
Someone opens a door, I say “thank you.”
They do it again, I say it again.
Someone wishes me well, I say it again.
My husband passes me my phone, I say ditto.
When I pass him something, he says it too.
I cook something of his choice, he says it once more.
I still remember the day at my school when we first learned to use the words “thank you” “sorry” and “ please”. That day I floated in the air feeling that I had been given some special power from these magical words.I have been sincerely using these three words in the proper circumstances since that very day.
Among all my encounters with fellow human beings, every time I had to sincerely thank, heartily apologize or kindly request, my glossary stood relevantly with me.
I lived in a foreign country where English wasn’t very common. So, on my first day there I learned how to greet, how to thank and how to apologize in the local language.And these magic words made my life way easier.Whenever I travel to a different place I make sure to learn how to say these three words in the local tongue.
In my culture and in many other cultures, paying respect is practiced hierarchically and that hierarchy is based on age or sometimes on relationships.My simple logical argument against it is if being polite and respectful counts as good manners then adults should have more of those. Adults should have acquired more of a good demeanor during their extra time spent on this planet.
If our etiquette is practiced only occasionally or only to a specific section of people then isn’t that pretentious or dishonest?
I don’t shy away from expressing my gratitude, polite pleas or regrets to anyone younger even small children as young as my 5-year-old niece for instance.
I learned these values from my mother who has always been considerate of me, my siblings, and everyone else. She is civilised enough to employ the appropriate expressions at the right time. This has always inspired me to not let my manners get overpowered by my ego.
As I write, an incident comes to mind that reminds me just how important it is to be able to use these words sincerely. It was when my dearest friend visited my place for a short stay.
We had an amazing time together during his stay. But we both happened to be upset with each other over small things. We were collecting small bitter feelings in our hearts for each other. We were feeling the negative vibe for a while but did not comment on it.
But just before I was about to see him off, we both spoke openly about our feelings and wholeheartedly apologised to each other for everything.
I thanked him for being a wonderful friend and for the otherwise awesome time we spent together. He also thanked me for hosting him so well. That shattered all our malice and since then we have been much better friends than ever before.
Just in a minute, a few honest words loaded with feeling saved me a very crucial relationship.
These words are powerful enough to make bonds and even save relationships at the breaking point. Although, even the most beautiful words can not work as their sentiments intend if they are not backed by genuine feelings and genuine emotions.
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