Cultivate The Habit
"Gratitude is an adrenalin to a tired body."
When the movie " Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson hit the
theater, we all saw the movie and most of us cried. However some
(Me, personally) did have heavy hearts for days knowing Christ
suffered a lot for our sake. Of course those who are fortunate
rang Mel's number and simply said, " Thanks for your genius."
For people like me who could not reach him for one reason or the
other, we did appreciate his brilliant effort by seeing the
movie as many times as possible.
When I saw the movie for the seventh time in the comfort of my
cozy living room, I realized Mel would have failed woefully lest
for those people who had faded into the background of the movie
like black dress atop a red pair of shoes. You know what I mean?
The dress is attractive, but the shoes had taken the whole
attention to itself.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Mel doesn't deserve hundreds
of backslaps, but I'm talking about other people who never got a
single call from their friends or a thank you from the public.
Actually, I'm not talking about the man who played Christ, Jim
Caviezel or the guy who played the tempter, Satan. (I don't know
his name.) I'm talking about someone in the crowd. I'm concerned
about that woman who got a copy of the film, invited her friends
to her home and slow play the movie (Passion of the Christ) for
them to see her. Despite she played it many times, she still
have to zoom it before they could capture her properly in the
rush crowd. All her friends went up screaming, " Oh Jenny, you
are in the movie. Congratulations, you did well." That is if she
is as pronounced as the man who played Simon the Cyrenian.
I'm not saying you slow play a movie to get the list of people
you have to congratulate. No, I'm not saying that, but you have
to feel like saying, "Job well done " to the production crew.
What about the costumier? Or that fat lady (don't know if she is
fat.) who was nowhere in the movie, (On scene or behind the
scene) but did make sure Mel and his crew get lunch and coffee
during the rehearsals and final shot of the timeless piece?
Of course I do not expect you to ring Mel asking for the list of
everyone involved in the making of the movie. But I'm just
concerned about the last time you said thank you to the doorman
who held the door or found a taxi for you. What about the young
lady who packed your grocery in the store?
What about that florist? The cabbie? The receptionist? The
bellboy who took your luggage to your hotel room? The Spanish
woman who cleans your house every weekend? What about the hotel
maid who run other extraneous errands to get your cream Armani
suit from the hotel shop outside making sure your rooms are
perfectly cleaned? What about the caddie at the golf course?
What about the high school blonde who baby-sits your kids while
you dine, late night, in a ritzy restaurant?
Did you say you did pay and sometimes tip them for their
services? That is very right, but sometimes your cash does
little compare to the thank you that really shows how much you
appreciate their efforts.
Cultivating the habit of expressing gratitude for a service
(even if you pay for it) it makes someone feel appreciated and
much more valued. Imagine Mr. George Bush walks into a small
coffee shop downtown, demands to see the person who mopped the
floor and he
If you are the person, how would you feel?