Thanks In, Thanks Out

For better or worse, a little appreciation goes a long way with me.

Hidden Bloggers saw my post early in the week sharing an unexpected note from a friend sharing in specific detail how I've had a positive impact on his life. It's the kind of note that would make a father's heart melt if it came from his son. In my case, well, the same.

A couple days later one of my tutoring students laid into me the same way, giving me a card of gratitude and a kindly worded note. He also gave me a gift certificate to Chili's, which gave Dena and I a chance to have a leisurely dinner together.

As a side note, I'm glad that we've come to enjoy 4:30 dinners out on Saturdays. It avoids the rush. It allows us to sit in a restaurant quietly and talk about our future, the week past and to come, and about life philosophy in general with no distractions.

A couple of co-workers in mentoring relationships with me have had good weeks and paid me with thanks as well. Over the months, each has dealt with stressful professional challenges. Fortunately these obstacles are familiar to me from years of mistakes of my own. I'm lucky to work for a company that strongly supports mentoring programs. And also to have lived long enough to not only have experiences to offer for their perspective, but practice in delivering it without getting too windy (I hope). The fact that several people request to be mentees of mine every year, and now the company is entrusting me with more and more direct reports, is a satisfying affirmation of the gifts God's given me.

Got a chance to play some touch football on Sunday. And to play quarterback for my team the whole time. This means that I get to claim that I got "exercise" with practically no running or collisions involved. Check. It has been a fun way to meet some new people as well. My next door neighbor who coordinated it is another blessing to us.

The basketball team completed a 4-game winning streak over the weekend. Regardless of our final record, there's no question to this point that it's the best team I've ever coached, by the definition of team that measures a teen's development into a man. Coach asked me if I'd stick around after practice and put the balls away after the guys did some post-practice shootaround. Watching them horse around with so much joy and silliness, launching trick shots and teasing each other, was another family bonding moment.

This week brings another new tutoring student or two. My resolutions to dream daily and find a new job have been right on schedule. However intimidating it might have been to get only one shot at passing the qualifying tutor certification exams for the Wyzant web site was wildly exaggerated in the end. Open-book, and only ten questions apiece.

I could've kept this to a one-paragraph post and that would have been plenty: It's literally the middle of winter in Illinois, and I'm about to walk out into 50 degree temperatures. The last calendar year has been the best weather I can remember. The smiles of spring are just around the corner.