Thoughtfulness
There are a few people in my life who I consider to be the poster children for thoughtfulness. These are people who regularly amaze and shame me in their ability to press pause in their incredibly busy lives to do something special for someone they care about. The funny thing is that these are also some of the busiest people I know and yet, they put their money where their mouth is –they make the time.
They buy that gift that they just know one of their friends will love, they make that visit to the friend who is going through a bad patch, they go to the post office (this one is way up there because we avoid the post office like the Zika virus) to mail that surprise care package, and they take the time to send a totally unexpected email that says they were just thinking about you (not the Facebook video share kind either). They have exploding inboxes, real jobs, a whole host of demands on their time, and they still find a way because it’s just who they are.
Thoughtfulness is a lost art. It might even be on the list for extinction in our current world because its very foundation is about selflessness and giving. So when I find myself in the company of someone who practices it readily and with great ease, I am naturally in awe. And it makes me want to autopsy them because I need to know if their brains just work differently or if their DNA is somehow wired for giving because if it is, I want in. I can’t help but want to be like them. To stop, to think, to remember a birthday and even send a REAL card, to be grateful for the people I love and honor them with my most valuable asset, my time. We should all be lucky enough to know people like this and to be shamed by their thoughtfulness, because believe me, when you are on the receiving end of this generosity it’s the most remarkable and humbling thing ever, because you know it’s coming with the best of intentions and from the biggest of hearts.
Today more than ever, we need to put our money where our mouth is and make the time. Because if we can save thoughtfulness, then maybe civility and kindness and love aren't too far behind. J McD - this one's for you.