A Thousand Thanks (Shakespeare)

Recently, I received a card in the mail from an individual who received one of my knitted products as a gift. The front of the small card, with a plain white background and big bold letters in black simply stated, “A THOUSAND THANKS (Shakespeare).”  The card was sent as an appreciation for thinking of making something for someone else who was not expecting a gift. This individual took the time to simply say “Thank You.”

These simple two words, “Thank You”, had a lasting impression.

I remember one weekday morning I went to a fast food restaurant near my workplace. It was during the rush hour where several people, including myself were anxiously standing in line to get our coffee and food before we set off to start our day. As I was standing in the long line, I watched the store manager take the order of each person with grace and professionalism. When an order number was called for pickup, the manager would say with a smile, “Have a nice day”! The message was usually received with a slight smile as the customer hurried out of the restaurant to their next destination.

My turn to order was next and when my order was ready, I grab my coffee and food and said to the manager, “Thank You.” As I turned to leave, the manager said, excuse me, what did you say?” I laughed out loud and repeated, “Thank You”. The manager smiled back at me and acknowledged with a nod of the head an acceptance of the compliment. As I headed to work, I was wondering how often do we take the time to simply say “thank you”?

That was nearly two years ago, and I will always remember that moment. So today as we are nearing the end of the calendar year, I want to say Thank you. Thank you to my family and friends who supported me when I first had this idea to create a business to sell products online. Thank you to all the local business shop owners who took the time to listen and offer advice of the pros and cons of business ownership. Thank you to my volunteer models (both two legged and four legged) as you bring “life” to my products. Thank you to those who lift my spirits when they remind me that being able to create your chosen craft is a “gift”. Thank you to my new craft family who graciously encourage all of us on our creative journey. Most of all thank you to my customers who have enjoyed my handmade creations 😊

And yes, thank you to those individuals who said to me “that idea won’t work”! Why would I say thank you to those individuals? Because I believe all feedback whether positive or negative keeps the energy of creative ideas flowing. With that being said, I am excited to see what wonderful things the New Year will bring both personally and professionally.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and productive 2020!

THANK YOU!