Did you know that Sept. 21 is International Gratitude Day?

I’m certainly grateful for having autumn creeping upon us. The nights aren’t as warm as they were even a few weeks ago and stores have already begun stockpiling everything pumpkin-related.

However, I’m also grateful for something much more traditional as many people return to school in the fall—teachers. We are constantly learning—from the time we are born to our last days. This learning occurs not just in a classroom for the first 18 or so years of life, but also as young adults finding our way in the world, as parents and grandparents, and late in life when we have more time to spare and choose to learn something purely for ourselves.

I am most appreciative of the teachers who turn up when we are not looking to learn something new. Those unexpected teachers come out of nowhere. They are the elderly ladies with time to chat, the child who surprises us with insight that many adults overlook, and the average person who takes the time to explain a process, in common terms, that is specific to his or her field of expertise.

Who are the unexpected teachers in your life? Have you told them that they positively changed you, irrevocably, by teaching you something new? Perhaps this would be a good week to share your gratitude.

A teacher who made a difference at some time in your life would probably appreciate a simple card, an unexpected phone call, or even an email from you. This gesture might just lead to a larger conversation and a deeper friendship. If nothing else, you made someone’s day with a positive comment by simply expressing your gratitude. After all, one of the first things we are taught in preschool or kindergarten is to say, “Thank you.”

In Gratitude,
Gino Pezzani
DIEN Realty
604-418-9366