The Art of Appreciation

Today I had a work event. Greeting and mingling with listeners. Not really something I usually look forward to, mostly just because I get uncomfortable trying to initiate conversations with people I don't know. But, inevitably, I can fake courage long enough to have a few conversations and smile a lot and when it's all over I say, "That was fun." Today, as I was smiling and talking with people, I began to think about this AHA project I started for myself. I realized that being appreciated is a cool feeling. Even though I don't always look forward to this type of event, and I feel that I have nothing to say to these people I don't really know, I realized that they feel like they know me because they listen to my station. And I have something in common with them because they hear a lot of the same information that I do. And I bring them a service that they truly appreciate. When people see my nametag, they smile and say, "Oh, you're Kate Percival. I listen to you all the time! I love this station!" I am appreciated. By people I don't know. That's a pretty cool feeling.

Tonight, when I came home, I had a long talk with a very, very dear friend. Some of the discussion was happy and made me laugh and some was a bit sad. I lost count of how many times I said to him and he said to me, "Thank you." We need each other and we appreciate the other's support and love. It's a basic human need to be appreciated, wanted, needed, loved. When we show others how much we appreciate them, we almost always are shown the same feeling in return. It's like that old saying that goes something like, "If you want a friend, be a friend." If you want to feel appreciated, wanted, needed and loved, you have to appreciate, want, need and love someone else first.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings, and to really be honest with myself. And I appreciate any readers that I might have. I hope that I can give others something to think about, or offer another perspective in which to consider the world. The other night, I fell asleep before I could post an entry and I had two friends on Facebook ask where it was. That made me feel appreciated, and although I felt bad for messing up, I liked that they missed it! Thanks, Patti and Jen. I'd love for people to comment, if for nothing else to just say that they read this. That would make me feel appreciated enough. Thanks, all!