Today’s blog entry is going to be a little different. I’m just going to list some thoughtful things that come to mind and I want to know, do you do this?

• It wasn’t convenient for me to park my car in my garage last week so I parked on the street. Do you leave space for expected contractors to park so that it’s easier for them to do their job?

• When guests spend the night, do you set them up with some of your nicest bedding and towels?

• If you are not good at remembering names, do you write them down in order to have a better chance to learn their names after meeting them?

• Do you take pictures of items and send to friends and family “as proof” that you are thinking of them at that moment?

• Do you send a text when you are thinking of someone and tell them why you’re thinking of them?

• Do you jazz up food that you are serving or giving to someone by using unique containers, fancy China, fun paper plates, and/or fun napkins?

• Do you think about the topics that you will be talking about in public places*?

• Do you recycle, reuse or repurpose items?

• Do you donate old or unused items to charity?

• Do you use social media to say thank you to someone who gave you a thoughtful pinch?

• Do you share your recipes when someone proclaims, “This dish is great.”?

• Do you give honest feedback when someone looks to you for advice?

• Do you think going to an event for at least a portion of the time is better than not attending at all?

• Do you pick up the phone to talk to friends and family?

• Do you use national days to let someone know you are thinking of them?

• Do you thank teachers by giving them gifts?

• Do you volunteer?

• Do you take the time to help someone by giving them your recommendations?

• Do you write thank you notes?

• Do you know and implement the 5 Love Languages in your life?

• Do you support local businesses?

• Do you try to find win-win situations? In other words, participate in events in which all parties involved get something good out of it.

• Do you try to be considerate of other people’s feelings?

• Do you give some sort of wave, smile or nod when someone pulls their car over to allow your car to pass by?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above then you are a thoughtful person. By being thoughtful, it’s not only great for you but for those lives that you touch. My mission for having a blog about thoughtfulness is to lead the way of bringing joy to all by creating positive and meaningful memories. From what I hear, this blog has helped some people process and some have even changed a behavior because they liked what they learned. I’m flattered and honored but I’m not surprised. The common thread of all the actions listed above is that they either create a positive memory and/or a meaningful one. And usually, the result is that it brings joy to both parties involved.

I could ask so many other questions that would yield more “yeses” for my thoughtful questionnaire but I feel like I’ve already proven my point; awareness of our actions can lead to more and more thoughtfulness. Most people are thoughtful without even knowing that they are thoughtful. Many of us do any of the above as if it were second nature. We never took a course on how to be thoughtful and/or we didn’t pass a test to be certified in thoughtfulness. Although many of the gestures happen organically, a lot of them are learned behaviors and there’s nothing wrong with that. By learning, we all get a chance to be better. What matters more than anything is recognizing our strengths in how we show our consideration towards others. Once we discover that we have the power to bring joy to others, we will find joy within ourselves. It’s a win-win.

Pinches,

Barb

*this gesture was something I just learned about last week. A relative of my mother-in-law wanted to have a conversation with me but did not want to be somewhere public because he wanted to protect the person we would be talking about. I thought that was very thoughtful.