Gratitude – Dave Glardon

Hello, and happy Wednesday! I hope your day is off to a great start.

I would normally have posted this Monday, but I wanted to save it for today. For those of us in the United States, today is Veteran’s Day. It’s a day to honor all who have served in our nation’s military. I’m one of them, and I appreciate the gratitude. Still, as I do every year, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the spouses and families whose support makes it all possible.

In my 12 years of Naval service, I deployed to the Indian Ocean three times. This was long before the days of cell phones and global internet. Our only means of communication was good old-fashioned snail mail. Sometimes the letters came out of sequence, and the answer to a specific question may not come for several weeks. That’s just the way it was.

It’s hard not to worry, especially when you find out about challenges your loved ones are facing. And there were hazards onboard as well. Less than a week after I arrived onboard, we had a fire below deck that burned all night and made US news. And every cruise would claim a few lives to onboard accidents. I remember every one of them. Our wives knew this all too well.

But we didn’t have to worry about how things were being managed in our absence. I deployed before our daughter’s first birthday, and my wife was left in a strange city with no transportation (she wasn’t licensed yet), little money, and a toddler to raise. She walked a mile each way along snow-covered walks to buy whatever groceries would fit in the stroller.

We fixed that issue before I deployed again. But when I came home the house was warm, the lights were on, our daughter was healthy, and there were no eviction notices on the door. She made enlisted pay keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, which was nothing short of a miracle. The Navy had a theory on that – “Your wife wasn’t issued in your seabag.”

I knew every time we went to sea that she’d be on the pier waiting for me when we got home, whether that was three days or seven months. And yes, I knew some guys who found out the hard way they weren’t as fortunate. Separation is hard on relationships. But the overwhelming majority of us never had to worry about that. And our wives didn’t have to worry about us.

As a ship and crew, we were able to make all of our operational commitments, plus a few extras that nobody had planned. Part of that was training. Part was leadership. Part was keeping the ship and planes in working order. But the biggest part was the ability to focus on our job without the distraction of challenges on the home front. We knew home would be okay.

And that’s true in a lot of professions. After my time in the Navy, I drove a long-haul semi for a while. If you see a truck on the road, odds are there’s a family at home keeping things going. The same is true of firefighters, police officers, flight crews, ship’s crews, oil rig operators, and a hundred other professions. When they go to work, somebody gets left behind.

Those are the people I think we should celebrate today, and every day. For me, being at sea wasn’t all that hard. I worked here, I slept up there, and I ate down there. That was my little world. But I also knew things at home would be fine, and that let me focus on my job seven days a week, twelve hours a day. I think our families deserved the medals.

So, as you think about the veterans in your life, or anyone whose job takes them away from home and sometimes into danger, take a moment to thank the unsung heroes who make it all possible. It’s hard living with your life’s partner or a parent whose job makes them unable to be home with you. Harder, even, than being the person who’s away.

That’s all for today. I’ll get back to the regular schedule in a few days, but this is something I wanted to share today. Thanks for listening, and have an awesome day!

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope your day is starting off well.

I’d like to tell you I’ve got some awesome plans for the weekend, but unless awesome begins with filing taxes, I guess I’d be lying. I don’t know why I wait until the last minute every year. It’s just become a tradition. Beyond that, I need to mow the lawn for the first time this year, set up a new computer, do some cleaning, and make breakfast sandwiches for the next month.

Yes, you heard me right. Once a month, I spend a couple of hours at the stove making sandwiches and burritos I can throw in the freezer. Then, each day before work, I grab one out and put it in my lunchbox. It saves money, and I know exactly what I’m getting. I can’t say the same for what comes out of the vending machine at work.

This habit started because our vending supplier at work didn’t seem to care that I was partial to one really tasty breakfast item. It was there for a couple of months, then they never stocked it again. I didn’t care for the alternatives, and when I asked about my favorite, he just shrugged his shoulders. So, I started making my own and now they don’t get any of my money. That’ll show ‘em!

We’re all creatures of habit. Okay, some more than others. When my wife and I go to a restaurant we’ve been to before, she could order for me because I usually don’t even look at the menu. I know what I’m having before we even get there. Sure, I probably miss out on some other delicacies as a result. But I’d also miss out on my favorite Buffalo wings or bourbon-glazed salmon.

Once we become accustomed to something being there, we notice when somebody takes it away. Especially if it was something we liked. But, here’s the question – did we tell anybody we liked it? Did we thank them for it? Did we show our appreciation on a fairly regular basis, or did we just complain the one time this month we went looking for it and it wasn’t there?

Whether it’s breakfast items in the vending area, a box of donuts somebody brings in on a Friday morning, or just a warm smile and greeting from somebody we don’t even know, people want to feel like it makes a difference. They need to know the little bit of extra effort taken to brighten your day in some small way is appreciated.

It’s the little things that count. A handshake your first day in church, a compliment from a co-worker, a warm greeting from a complete stranger walking down the street, or a little extra effort to stock my favorite breakfast item in the vending machine. Sorry, I just can’t let that go.

But the point is, if none of those efforts are rewarded with even the slightest expression of gratitude, people tend to drop the behavior and move on. There’s an old adage that says if every time I walk through a certain door I get punched in the face, it won’t be long before I stop walking through that door. I think we can all relate to that.

Every day, people in our life walk through that door, hoping to find a friendly face on the other side. Kindness is more than just an attitude – it’s an effort we make. It takes thought. It takes consideration. And it takes courage. Because, any time we put ourselves out there, we never know what the response may be. There are some people who just can’t be nice about anything.

Take a little time today to pay somebody a compliment. Thank them for the things they do that make your day just a little brighter. Let them know it makes a difference. And remember, what makes you feel better will often make others feel just the same. There is no copyright on kindness. You can plagiarize it all day long, and not one person will complain. Try it!

I don’t know how I got from breakfast sandwiches to acts of random kindness, but that’s just how my mind works. It’s early in the morning, and my brain is in full swing. Besides, you’re used to it by now. It’s not important how we got here – what’s important is where we go from here. You can make a difference in somebody else’s life today. Don’t miss that opportunity. It’ll brighten the day for both of you.

That’s all for now. Have an awesome day!

Tag: Gratitude

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