GRATITUDE & BAKLAVA

Last week I received a card and some delicious homemade baklava as a thank you for passing my friend's name along to a contact I knew who had a position to fill. It required absolutely no effort on my part (other than opening my mouth...which we all know I'm really good at). I didn't really know if the position was right for her or not, and since she is way over-qualified and the work as extremely part time, I actually wondered if I'd only bother her by calling to pass along the information. But I did it anyway because I knew she was interested in getting back in the workforce.

When I received her gift, I was struck by how thoughtful it was. The card mentioned the experience I mentioned and another one recently where my network had benefited her job search. I wouldn't have even known about the second contact if she hadn't written it in the card. 

I thought I knew the power of a thank you note, (I mean I know that my 90 year old grandma has an iron trap memory when it comes to who sends her one or not, and if you're on the 'not list' you might not get your check next Christmas!) but receiving this sweet token last week made me reevaluate my thoughts on gratitude notes. I've decided they are not just "nice to dos", they are "need to dos" - so today I wrote 3 of them.  Like my friend, I tried to make them extra special by thoughtfully explaining what the item or experience personally meant to me. 

My friend added this quote from Mehmet Murat Ildan inside the flap of the card:

So let me tell you something big: find a friend who makes homemade baklava and do something nice for them immediately. I promise you will not regret it! 

"All you can take with you is that which is given away." Quote found on the wall of George Bailey's office in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life.