January 7th, I turned 26. That’s right, I am officially in my late twenties. I still look forward to birthdays. I like the cake, the presents, a special dinner with my family, and the birthday wishes from my friends and co-workers.
The wonderful board at Coming of Faith sent me this Gif on my Birthday. It was so cute and thoughtful. Many years go by and birthday cards are more of a facebook post “Happy Birthday!” rather than a card or letter with deeper, more sincere meaning.
Unlike this plucky song by Garfunkel and Oats “Happy Birthday to My Loose Acquaintance” this year I received many lovely and thoughtful facebook messages and wall posts from friends and family. Yes, some were just “Happy Birthday! Stay Awesome ❤ :-)” but I replied. I tagged the original comment-er and had a conversation with every person that commented on my wall, sent a message, an email, a linkedin message, or a tweet. These friends, are not just facebook friends that I log off and never talk to again. These friends are people that I work with, I grew up with, that are coming to my wedding. I want to maintain a relationship with them. Maintaining a relationship takes work. If they did the “nice person thing to do,” as the song said, then I can take seconds to reply with more than a curt “thank you”.
Instead I:
1. Tell someone how much I value them.
2. Tell someone why I appreciate there comments
3. Sharing why I love working with someone and being their friend, publicly praising them.
This makes a huge difference. Not only does my friend have a moment to feel special, but it helps strength the friendship in the long term. Lasting, quality friendships aid in overall success.
I love this card my friend Erika and her daughters got me! Hand written cards just add a little some extra to that birthday wish. That old-fashion love of putting pen to paper is a discussion for another time. 😉
PS. Thank you everyone who voted for me for the Brass Crescent Awards. Also thank you to whom ever nominated me, please feel free to nominate me for future awards! 😉 I was totally flattered and surprised by this and I really look forward to improving as a writer in the years to come so I can be far more deserving of these types of awards. Thanks again!
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