One of my favorite things to do, for reasons I don’t know that I can explain, is to send notes of appreciation to people whom I appreciate. I guess that doesn’t sound so unusual after all until I tell you that I have sent an email to Nina Totenberg… the legal affairs correspondent for NPR… yeahhhh…. and I TRULY meant every word I said. (I LOVE Nina! Every time she is on the air I turn the radio up because I love the way she explains things and I always learn from her!) Other folks I have sent notes of appreciation to are: bloggers, famous authors, not-so-famous authors, artists, comics, musicians, professors, fellow students, etc. And it never ceases to amaze me how grateful the individual is to have been appreciated.

This semester I had a wonderful professor… the kind of professor I was so spoiled to have so often at Anderson… she was invested in the class, she was witty and engaging, every assignment she gave us had a purpose and a goal that I could actually follow myself and understand why it was given… she brought in guest lecturers who were equally engaging and fascinating and who added so much to the material already taught. I loved her. And as a result I really loved the course. Want to know what it was? Research Methods. Who loves research methods?!?! With the right instructor, I sort of think that we all do.

So, in my usual manner, I waited until after grades were posted to send my note of appreciation. And I received the sweetest note in response. Again, I am just always amazed at how much it means to people to know that they are appreciated. The responses I’ve received from various people whom I have sent notes to is really really encouraging and special to me. Nina Totenberg said that I had given her the encouragement she needed to keep going, my professor this semester said that I have made her holiday, some of my favorite authors have expressed profound grattitude and identified me as a “kindred soul.” It means almost more to me to hear from them how much they appreciated my appreciation than it means to them to receive it.

ALL of this is to say… it’s the holidays!!! Tell someone how much you appreciate them!!! Bonus points in particular if the someone you appreciate is random or would never normally get such a note. I can say from experience that it will be just one big love-fest when you do.