Two small words (in English) which, when put together, mean a lot to the recipient. We seem to have become a society of people always ready to complain about something which has not been done quite perfectly, for one reason or another. You didn’t get the level of service you expected, you complain. An item you purchased does not meet your expectations, you complain. When was the last time you paid someone a compliment though? If things go right, as you would expect, or if you receive excellent service, why not say thank you?
We recently finalised an estate and sent out the family tree and other associated documents to all of the beneficiaries. Would you believe, of twelve, only one person contacted us to say thank you! OK, so it’s part of the service we provide, but you’d think they could just send a quick email or make a brief telephone call to confirm receipt and express their gratitude for the work done.
Interestingly, name-wise, there are quite a few people called Thankful who have graced England and Wales with their presence …. not one Thank You, though! Thank does appear as a surname, but infrequently (just nine records on FreeBMD at the time of writing) and far less prevalent than Unthank, which has 246 name bearers on the 1881 census (from Surname Atlas, right). Unthank appears to be a Yorkshire and Durham name in this time period, with only small numbers heading to other counties. Thank has no name bearers at all in 1881…. so I wonder where the name originated?
Anyway, I digress…. I have a suggestion for you. For the last week of April (last blog of the A-Z Challenge is Z next weekend!), try to say thank you more than you complain! This can be achieved online, at home, in shops, at meetings, whatever you are you doing….. Go on! Try it!
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