Thursday, August 28, 2008

Seize the moment to surprise and delight!

I absolutely adore my friend John from my writers’ group. I don’t know him all that well — I can’t spell (or even pronounce) his last name — but I do know I love him. John’s an interesting character who admits to spending his early years in a Vegas fast lane that wasn’t always heading in the most, um… wholesome direction, and I find his sweet, no-bullshit demeanor nothing short of endearing.

We don’t cross paths as often as we used to, and so every once in a while I like to bug him with a quick email or comment on his MySpace page, keeping myself in his face, as is my habit with people I like. Last night I ran into John at an event for writers at the library; of course, I was thrilled to see him.

In the hour we spent together, John must have said at least three or four times, “Thanks for thinking of me” and “I can’t tell you how much your little notes mean to me.” I could see that the tiny effort it took me to reach out now and then was appreciated exponentially.

How easy it is to make someone’s day, if only we remember to make the effort. What can you do right now to surprise and delight someone? Take a minute—literally—and just do it. Right now!

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