Sharing Gratitude

Where did the idea come from?

Two years ago my dad gave me an origami kit with two books - one for beginners and one a little more advanced, along with a little box full of colorful, square paper.  I had been having this idea that in restaurants where our waiter or waitress was nice and we had a good experience we would leave a chocolate coin. We never really stuck to that.  First of all they were expensive.  Second of all chocolate is quite difficult to carry around because it melts and takes up space.

Then I had a great idea that was a win-win:  I could make a little origami sailboat, which has more meaning than a chocolate coin and is easier to carry around and to remember.  We needed to have paper with us at all times.  My dad agreed to store some different colors and patterns in his wallet so we would never forget.

Along the way down the east coast the boat, we have left behind many origami sailboats.  And what we have figured out is it's not only more meaningful for us but more meaningful for whomever waited on us.

Sometimes we don't know how it will turn out.  Sometimes we can just tell by the character of the person.  Other times we like to watch.

The three most memorable experiences are these...

One was in Half Moon Bay, NY, along the Hudson River.  We were with Captain John, our training captain.  The waitress there was very nice - especially since it was crowded.  The place was decorated with Thanksgiving decorations.  I picked a fall-like pattern paper that suited the experience perfectly.  The waitress was so overjoyed that she said she would put it up with this year's Thanksgiving decorations.  And we felt great to have made her happy.  So we went there again.

Then there was in Melbourne, FL.  My dad and I had tried to get into the Melbourne Yacht Club, which is a sailing club.  The woman he called for a reservation told my dad that there was no way they could accommodate us.  They were having their annual Christmas party.  My dad left his number just in case anything opened up.  He told me a life lesson that it never hurts to ask and to always ask especially nicely.  I remember it was super windy that day.  When we were very close to the marina we were going to stay at, one with a bad reputation, we got a call...  "You're not going to believe this but something opened up - it's too windy to have our parade so we're cancelling it.  We're still having the Christmas party.  You can come stay here.  And please come to our party.  But under one condition.  Want to see your boat."  So we decided to accept her offer.

I remember it was so shallow, and with wave action, we were bumping along the bottom on the way into their marina.  But we didn't get stuck.  The party we went to at the club was amazing.  Everyone was asking about us and was so nice.  There was one guy who had such a handshake that it crushed my hand.  I'd always heard of things like that but I'd never had it happen to me.  He was super nice and super smart.  He has designed satellite networks including the Iridium one we use for our boat's satellite phone!  They told us they weren't going to charge us anything for docking there.  So my dad made a donation to their youth sailing club.  I made a sailboat and a note to go with our donation.  Everyone was so grateful.

Then there was a time in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.  We were at a Brazilian steakhouse that had excellent food.  We had a great experience.  We had two waitresses.  One was following the other around.  We learned the one following was working her first night.  I left her a sailboat.  With her sailboat, I also wrote her a positive message.  She was so grateful and happy!  On the way out we were walking to get our Uber.  We saw the new waitress again when she was leaving.  She thanked us again as she walked to her car and drove away.  I hope she has succeeded with her job.

There is a book I got in Manteo, NC.  It is called A Collection of Brilliant Quotations for a Beautiful Life.  Here is a quote from it that fits this story perfectly.

Gratitude  

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

-- Melody Beattie

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What can you do to make people happy? To inspire them? To give back to them?

 What can you do to share gratitude?