No, thank YOU

Okay.
Here's the thing.

There's something that irks me like no other. I really can't figure out why it bothers me so much, except for the fact that it happens a lot and every single time I think to myself "Why is this a big deal??"

It just is.

I email a LOT at my job. People email me requests, I make tasks for them and then I send them work order numbers or tell them what they need to do to fix the problem themselves, etc. I do Helpdesk. It's what I do. I email a lot. So what.
So what?
So what is the fact that 9 out of 10 times, people respond with one of two phrases "Thank you" or "Thanks."
Now, this might not seem like a big deal, except for the fact that I send out close to 200 emails a day. A DAY! (You do the math, I don't feel like it.)

"Thanks."

Really? You sent a whole email just for that? That's all I get? I got excited when I saw that I had an email from you (okay, that's usually not true) and I opened it and all I get is "Thanks"?? Not even a "Wow, thanks so much, I really appreciate that/you etc." I mean, come on. That took ten extra seconds and it's so much more genuine than "thanks."

Oh, and don't even get me started on "thank you" text messages.
The other day I got a text from someone and all it said was "tks" (and I'm not even gonna START with text messages that just say "okay" or worse "k")
UGH!!
It's not that I don't like to be thanked. I do. It's nice to know I'm appreciated and that other people are grateful for something I said, did, gave, information I sent, etc.
But please. Do me a favor...

Don't waste the cyber space.

prayer... and why we're not as important as we think we are

"Prayer is request. The essence of request, as distinct from compulsion is that it may or may not be granted. And if an infinitely wise Being listens to the requests of finite and foolish creatures, of course He will sometimes grant and sometimes refuse them."
-C.S. Lewis "The Screwtape Letters"

"The infinite value of each human soul is not a christian doctrine. God did not die for man because of some value He perceived in him. The value of each human sould considered simply in itself out of relation to God is zero. As St Paul writes, to have died for valuable men would have been not divine but merely heroic; but God died for sinners. He loved us not because we were lovable, but because He is Love."
-C.S. Lewis

Tagged!

Lisa tagged me two months ago... I found out today because I forgot about blogs for a while.
So here are some little factoids that you might not know about me.

1) My eyes look really green when I've been crying. Weird, I know. It's probably because they get bloodshot and the redness brings out the green in them.

2) I keep a copy of e.e. cummings' poem "I carry your heart with me" written on an index card in my wallet. When I see it, I'm reminded to pray for my brother. I gave him a copy of it a few years ago (I doubt he still has it), but I've kept it since.

3) Lisa says I have the spiritual gift of Facebooking.... Maybe it's because I do nothing all day and keep facebook open on my desktop so I can't really help but see pretty much everything that happens on facebook. I'm not stalking you. I swear.

4) I can touch my nose with my tongue. (think: Gene Simmons) Yea, I'm awesome.

5) I've been punched in the face by children while riding the tram to Disneyland on three separate occasions.

6) I love Neil Diamond. Love him. I recently went to see him in concert and made a tee-shirt to wear that had a big red rhinestone heart and sequined letters that said "Amber <3's>

There were TONS when I saw him three years ago at the Staples center... I guess the people in Ontario are more classy than the LA crowd... Maybe sparkly shirts are beneath them? Not me. As a side note, I'll be sporting my "I heart Neil" tee for Valentine's day and I might even bust it out for Mother's day- Mom'll be so proud...

7) If you call me Ambie-pambie or Ambular, I'll punch you in the face. Or Bambie. Or Bamber. Or Amber-bamber. (That one'll get you hit two times). But you MAY call me by any of the following nicknames that I've acquired over the years that don't make me want to vomit: A-1, Amber #2, AmBear, Ber (say: burr), Ambrosia, Amberpants or Amber-Baker-the-touchdown-maker (this is a reference to my studliness when I played ultimate frisbee in college... nothing inappropriate, ladies and gentelman).

I tag Annie and Amybear.

5 days and counting...

I was sitting behind him when this picture was taken in 2006.I'm currently working on my "I heart Neil" t-shirt to wear to the concert. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty sweet.

Neil Diamond must be pretty excited to see me in 5 days!!

Compliments

Do you ever get uncomfortable when people give you compliments? I do. I always get nervous and am never sure how to properly (and appropriately) receive the compliment. Sometimes if it's a "boy" it makes me really nervous and I start blubbering like an idiot (shocker, I know). Lately I've noticed that I've started "bouncing back" the compliment to the compliment giver (i.e. They say "You look very nice" and I'll say "No YOU look really nice" or they say "You have a really great smile" and I'll say, "No, YOU have a really great smile!") This sometimes gets a laugh and sometimes makes things VERY uncomfortable... depending on the person and the compliment.
One thing I've always been told is that an adult should be able to gracefully accept a compliment. I've been especially mindful of this lately, and in observing my reactions and interactions with people, I've learned something about myself: I need words of affirmation. Although sometimes I get nervous accepting a compliment, when someone tells me they like me, I've done something well or they think I'm great, I bloom like a flower in April. I thrive when I recieve words of affermation.
Tonight as I was driving home, I started thinking about some notable compliments I've recieved. Some sweet, some funny, they've stuck with me (some for years).
So here they are... Those affirmations that have become a part of me...

The compliment I hear most often and really couldn't live without:
"I think you're great"
One of my besties (yes, that's right. I just said "bestie") tells me this pretty much every day. It's one of those things that I hear her say to, well, everyone, but I don't care. I know that she really thinks I'm great and is always going to be my biggest fan (that is, until I meet that "special guy") and is always cheering me on to the finish line, both literally and figuratively.

Most surprising compliment:
"I appreciate your honest answers- I need you around for that kind of feedback all day."
I'm usually all about helping people save face and feel good about themselves. If you sing a song and it was awful, I would probably still tell you that you did a great job because I know it was really difficult and I wouldn't want to crush you. But there are some people in my life who I either respect too much or they just give me diarrhea of the mouth and I can't not tell the truth- no b.s. here. These people help me better understand that honesty really IS the best policy and that my opinion really does count. To them. Not everyone.

Most awkward/poorly phrased but sweet while still being kind of creepy compliment:
When I worked at Starbucks, I would often have to be at work at 4am. One customer once said to me something I will never forget as long as I live. As soon as he realized what he'd said, he got really embarrassed, but that's neither here nor there. What he MEANT was that I was sweet and had a great attitude without being annoyingly peppy first thing in the morning.. But what he SAID was:
"You seem like a really great person to wake up next to and have a cup of coffee with."
(guys please note: It is never a good idea to tell your barista you want to wake up next to her. Ever. It's very awkward.)

Compliment I don't necessarily agree with but appreciate so much because I want it to be true:
"You're a really good and clear communicator"
Lisa tells me this often. I don't necessarily think it's true, but I strive to make it so. I often feel like I'm speaking a different language and that I'm not making any sense, but I really try to make sure that I communicate clearly so that all questions are already answered (I abhor conversations that talk topics/situations to death) so there's no confusion. It doesn't always work this way, especially when I get nervous. Which is often.

Hands down, the greatest compliment I've ever received:
"You're the voice in my head telling me I can do it."
Wow. I still tear up everytime I think of this. When I first met my old roommate, we actually worked together. She was "cute" and the boys we worked with were all pretty sweet on her and wanted to be "gentelmanly" and never made her/taught her how to do anything at the store. She looked to me to teach her because I wasn't gonna let her get off so easy just because she's cute. Whenever she would get frustrated or would make a mistake I would always say to her, "You can do it."
She told me months later that whenever she'd have trouble with something, she would hear me saying to her "You can do it" in her head, and she knew nothing was impossible.
I didn't remember any of that. It was a sobering reminder to me that I needed to be more mindful about encouraging others.


What about you? What's the greatest compliment you've ever received? Given? Do you struggle with accepting compliments? Giving them? Hmmm?

Really?

http://www.firemeetsdesire.com/

I have no words...

Quote of the day...

"Look, I've made my peace with the fact that everyone who calls here is a notch above brain dead, and that the pennies I am thrown each week are in exchange for me dealing with these people in a nonviolent manner. And usually that is fine, but today, sorry lady, I have ennui."
-Michel, Gilmore Girls