Two simple words.

I have been struggling the past few weeks with this deep feeling of sadness?  anger? depression?  Honestly I'm not sure which word best pinpoints the way I've been feeling but it isn't a good feeling.  As I contemplated why I was feeling this way I kept coming up empty handed as to what would truly explain my emotions.  I couldn't manage to shake the darkness that just seemed to be permeating me and my thought process.  You see with all the stresses of maintaining a home, dealing with a child who has just figured out how to throw a fit, and the pressure of higher ups mandating how my job should be done I couldn't help but feel as if everything was stacked against me, that I've been split in too many different directions.

As this train of thought continued to gain speed something happened that made everything come to a screeching halt...

 I was standing at the door of my classroom last week watching students come and go down the hallway when one of my students walked up to me and she gave me the biggest hug.  Then she said two simple words "Thank You".  All the yuck that I had been feeling melted away, just those two words derailed the mental train and made me realize how powerful just saying "Thank You" can be.  How often do we take those two words for granted?  How many times have we neglected to say them just because we assume the person on the receiving end knows that the Thank You is implied?  How many service people (waiters, cashiers, customer service reps, etc...) do we forget to say Thank You to when they've provided us with assistance?  What a difference it would make if we made a conscious decision to always say thank you?

Let us vow now to remember to use those two simple words, brighten someones day or just brighten your own day as you share the appreciation and power held within those words!  Hopefully by passing on happiness and happy thanks we can make ourselves happy!