Words Matter Week Question of the Day

In honor of Words Matter Week, a holiday that is celebrated annually the first full week in March, the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), of which I am a member, is hosting a Blog Challenge with a specific daily topic Monday through Friday.

Today’s topic is: Is there a word that has changed, or could change your life? What is it, and what difference would it make?

I think the most life-changing word in the human vocabulary is “Thank you”—okay, that’s two words, but “Thanks” doesn’t have quite the connotation I want here.

Thank you has become even more important in the fast-paced, technologically advanced society in which we now live.

Since everyone and his brother is now e-mailing, texting, like-ing, and tweeting, our language has been condensed to 140 words or less (just in case we want to post our comments on Twitter). The language of common courtesy has been left behind, buried under the OMGs, LOLS, TTYLs, ROFLMBOs, BRBs, and other assorted Internet slang acronyms.

When was the last time you received an old-fashioned Thank You note. For that matter, when was the last time you wrote one. My grandmother, may she rest in peace, would have me tarred and feathered if she thought I had neglected to send a Thank You note the day after I received a gift! I shudder to think of the consequences.

There is something heartwarming about getting a card in the mail (you know, the box outside your front door that someone keeps sticking envelopes into) with a handwritten note, thanking you for your generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, or other such sentiment. That person took the time out of their day to do something that actually takes some effort, and costs them a small bit of money. They must have really been pleased with that gift.

I know, I know—it’s so much easier to dash off an email or a text. But that is exactly my point. Courtesy is not common—it takes thought and time.

A Thank You deserves to be well said.