Zander's Inside Voice

I’ve been working on something new for the past few weeks. Life is so short and fast. It’s so easy to get caught up in the business of day to day life and not take any time to catch your breath and reflect on the beauty of life around you. I’ve been telling people that I appreciate them.

It’s easy to just say “I appreciate you” instead of thank you or whatever. What I am trying to do is be very specific. I told my wife “I appreciate you asking what I mean when I say something that doesn’t make sense to you or comes out wrong.” I told my ex “I appreciate you checking out my tires and car battery because I know that’s something you know more about than I do.” I told my father “I appreciate you taking the time to make homemade ice cream the last time we visited. I know it was a lot of time and effort for you and we really enjoyed it.”

It feels so good to say what exactly I appreciate. I find myself looking for things to talk about with those closest to me. No one needs to go above and beyond to be appreciated. I’m finding that quite often they will respond with something they appreciate about me. THAT feels amazing and inspires me to keep this new habit up. I’ve also been thanked for noticing the effort they’re putting in and that also feels great!!

I’ve also found myself thankful for those of you that are reading my words here. I know that I have a lot to learn in the blogging world and I know I will get there. Right now I’m just learning to use my own voice, getting more comfortable with who I’ve always been but had to hide, and putting my writing out there. The number of readers doesn’t matter to me, just that I continue to hit that publish button and not get scared or intimated. I appreciate all of you who are giving me a chance and checking out my beginnings as a blogger. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️Z