For whatever reason, the memory of an older woman from another country yelling “Thankee” in church during the sermon came to mind. As a child, I thought that her word and her behavior meant that she really liked what the minister was saying. As an adult, i assume that she was expressing how grateful she was for what the minister was saying. My mind went from that occurrence to ways in which people express their gratitude for gifts that they receive or give.
A couple of weeks ago, I exited a post office with an empty folded postal box. A woman came out of the post office behind me holding another empty postal box. She called to me saying, “Miss, Miss, you dropped one of your boxes.” “Oh,” I said, “Thank you.” She hurried over to me and handed me the box. I had lied. I had not dropped the box, but she seemed so happy to be doing a good deed, I thought I should let her enjoy her positive behavior.
The recent solar eclipse gave me an opportunity to extend the generosity of the Adler Planetarium’s eyeglasses and viewing cards for safely observing the eclipse. Neighbors, friends and strangers really appreciated receiving them. Their appreciation was a positive experience for me too. “Thankee.”
A visiting niece and I observed the eclipse while seated on the steps of the Adler Planetarium. My niece wanted to take pictures of the eclipse with her phone but was not too successful at first. Fortunately, an Adler staff person did it for her and then showed her how to do it. “Thankee.” My niece then helped another person do it. Â
I had extra glasses and viewing cards with me. Two young men (in their late teens or early 20s) came up the steps and asked an Adler staff person about getting glasses inside. They were old that one could only go inside with a purchased ticket. The two men were not inclined to buy tickets, so they started back down the stairs, one leaving the other behind. I did my usual interference with folks, and told the remaining young man that I could give them each a viewing card. Oh my goodness. When I gave the man the two cards, you would have thought I had given him gold. “Thank you so much, Ma’am,” he said as he held the cards to his chest, “I wish you blessings.” Thankee to him, I thought, for making me feel so good by his reaction.
A woman approached the Adler employee, needing to go to the bathroom. She was also told that she would need a purchased ticket to go inside. That was not something she could do. She started past my niece and me, and I did my usual interference with a person again. “Miss,” I said. “I have a ticket you can have.” I gave it to her. You could see the joy and relief on her face. She thanked me profusely and went inside. When she came out, she thanked me and thanked me and thanked me. “Thankee.” Actually, my daughter should be thanked, since she gave me the ticket. I will thank her on behalf of the lady.
So … in spite of the moon doing its best to cover up the sun (chuckle, chuckle), the people with whom I interacted on the day of the solar eclipse really put a lot of sunshine in my life. (Is that a metaphor?) “Thankee.”
Among other titles, April is Earth Month.
April 13 – Plant Appreciation Day.
April 14 – Good Deeds Day, Ambedkar Jayanti (holiday in India), and National Donate A Book Day.
April 15 – Tax Day, World Art Day, and Patriots’ Day.
April 16 – National Librarian Day.
April 18 – National Columnists Day, National Piñata Day.
April 19 – Poetry and the Creative Mind Day.
April 20 – Chinese Language Day, Volunteer Recognition Day.
April 21 – Thank You for Libraries Day, National Kindergarten Day, and World Creativity and Innovation Day.
April 22 – Passover begins at sundown; Earth Day.
April 23 – School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu festival).
April 24 – Stop Food Waste Day, Administrative Professionals Day, International Guide Dog Day, International Noise Awareness Day.
April 25 – Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.