Often when I am working on Awakenings, inspiration guides me to share a day’s events on her sister site catnipoflife. Today is one of those days since March 7th is National Employee Appreciation Day. The thoughts that came to mind center around appreciation vs. expectation. We are all expected to do a good job but are our efforts truly appreciated? Do we pass through the day seemingly unnoticed as robotic motions move us toward completion of assigned tasks? These are possibly questions we have all faced at some point in our lifetime.
Appreciation is something that should come 
naturally without effort. In other words, it is a natural reaction that is not always expected. Simple expressions go a long way for they replicate appreciation, nothing being expected in return. Pause for a moment and consider yourself a boss walking through the office where several employees are hard at work. Upon passing each person, you simply smile, say thank you continuing on to the next. What a great way to make someone’s day…simply smile, say thank you, walk away!
Now, change the scene. Take on the approach of looking around you with nothing in mind but expectations instead of appreciation. Does that ‘thank you’ come as easily since your perception has changed? Are you waiting – expecting – an ah-ha moment to suddenly appear? Becoming so focused on expectations shifts attention toward what is not there, rather than appreciating what is there all along.
Is appreciation more powerful than expectation or is it enough to say there is power in appreciation? While we may set our pace according to our expectations, the reward is being sincerely appreciated.
This is true of life itself outside the boundaries of the workplace. Whether you are reading this today, tomorrow or later on down the road, the power of appreciation flows from employer to employee, employee to employee, teacher to teacher, teacher to student, friend to friend, friend to stranger and it goes on and on…husband to wife, mother to child, brother to sister…
Isn’t it better to expect nothing so when all the surprises come along the gifts are truly appreciated? The gifts, of course, being expressions of gratitude through love, time, energy, and ourselves, not to get anything in return. When we say ‘thank you’, we are giving praise and receiving the real joy in the act of giving. There is indeed power in appreciation!
To all employees, THANK YOU for the jobs you do for where would we be without you?!.
catnipoflife 
For 35 years and 500,000 miles I’ve enjoyed touring the United States on my motorcycle. I remember each trip, each mile of the journey. M vacations were always more about the journey than the destination. I attribute my youthful outlook on life to the happiness touring our land, meeting new people and admiring God’s work up close and personal.
How wonderful, Bob! That has been our dream (traveling across country) since I retired. Sickness got in the way but at least Jim got through it with the Lord’s blessing! It is never to late to hit the road!
1995 I grabbed a car and drove from Chicago to Santa Monica and from there to Florida. I took my time – the trip was about 2 months…
I met people, really nice and helpful ones, I saw places that impressed me deeply, I will never forget the journey that took me to fulfill this one dream.
It was heaven for me.