No, damn it. The weather is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about appreciation.

I got a compliment this morning. It felt so good to hear something nice about me that I almost teared up. Now, I know that people think good things about me. I know that I do a really good job. I know that I'm usually a nice person and that I try to make other people feel good. I also know that it's a cold day in hell anymore when people say so.

I am a very verbal person. I need to hear it. Some people need flowers and diamonds or others need a hug to feel appreciated, I need to hear kind words.

The problem with us humans neglecting to show our regard for our friends and family is that if we don't show appreciation then the people who we love assume that it isn't there. That's sad.

So then we get to deal with someone who has this toxic, resentful miasma hanging over their head. We don't know why they're this way - they don't tell us why because appreciation that's been strong-armed means nothing. We thinks that it must be because they're unhappy with us. Then we think, "But why should they be mad at me? Don't I work hard? Don't I do my best? What in the blue blazes more do they want?"

And then the spiral begins and sometimes it ends ugly.

I think that we should all make ourselves a promise. At least once a day we'll say something nice to the people that we care about. Not a big production - just a simple, "Hey - I love it when you smile like that!" or, "Wow. What a good job you did - I can see how hard you worked!" or just, "Yay! You're home!" or "You look great in that color!"

Let's try it. Let me know how it goes, please.

And thanks for reading. I appreciate your time and attention.