How to Make a Writer’s (or Anyone Else’s) Day
Years ago, when I was a dance teacher, I made a point of saving the notes and cards I’d received from appreciative students. Whenever I was having a bad day, I’d get them out and re-read them. They were a definite pick-me-up! I loved feeling that I’d made a difference in my students’ lives.
I’ve found the same thing as a writer. Recently, a handful of readers have let me know that they appreciated my work. An octogenarian in the senior chorus I sing with wanted to buy my novels because he’d enjoyed them so much and wanted to give them as gifts to his children. And this past week, I did a zoom guest appearance with a book club about MISSING MOM. When it came time for the q and a, several readers didn’t ask questions. Instead, they wanted me to know how the book had moved them emotionally. And then yesterday, I was at a book fair when a young woman raced up to my table and immediately spotted MISSING MOM, which hadn’t yet come out when I’d been at the fair a year ago. “I’ve read all these others, and now I can’t wait to read this one,” she told me, as she handed it to me to autograph.
Wow, I thought. I’m the furthest thing from a best-selling, well-known author, but a handful of folks have let me know that they really liked and appreciated my work. And they weren’t even my relatives!
Having way too much fun with my fellow author Elaine Munsch at Bards and Friends’ Book Sale
At a time when I’ve had a rocky recovery from a surgery, they’ve buoyed my spirits and reminded me that every one of us needs to feel that we matter in some way and that others appreciate whatever it is that we’ve been able to offer them.
We all have the power to make someone else’s day by letting them know how much we appreciate who they are and what they do. Whether it’s your partner, your hairdresser, or the guy who fixes your computer, it matters. When our compliments and thanks are sincere, it’s guaranteed to make them feel better—and us, too!