About 10 years ago, I read about a young man who wrote and sent a thank-you note every day for a year. He started because he lost his job, felt depressed, and wanted to remind himself that he had a lot to be thankful for. He soon learned that he got more out of saying thank you than simply counting his blessings.

In 2023, I’m taking a slightly different approach. I’m planning to publicly thank people who have had a positive impact on my life in ways they probably didn’t plan, and most likely did so without even realizing it.

A hat-tip to a farmer

Ed was a landlord and a farmer. My husband and I helped out on the farm in exchange for living in his “little house.” Maybe this isn’t true everywhere, but in my neck of the woods, many farmers have a “little house.” The farmer’s son lives there when his family is just starting out. As the son’s family grows and the farmer ages, the son’s family often moves into the “big house” and the farmer sort of retires. It’s usually a son living in the “little house,” because, you know, as tradition dictates, the daughter marries another farmer’s son and lives in his “little house.”

At any rate, we lived in Ed’s “little house” because his son was uninterested in farming. I loved farming and my husband was a teacher, so he had his summers off to learn and earn. Our two sons, and eventually our two daughters loved living on Ed’s farm, too. As you can probably guess, the “little house” became too small for our now not-so-little family, so we decided to buy a house of our own and move into town.

“If you can’t keep up, how do you expect to catch up?”

That was Ed’s practical advice in the form of a question.

Ed was talking about finances. Don’t spend more than you have. But, his words reverberate across many parts of life: studies, current events, and even physical activity. “If you can’t keep up, how will you ever catch up?” Pay attention, stay vigilant, practice, train, and be ready.

Hat tip to Ed. A simple question that serves as a solid life-guide.

Have you received incite in the form of a question? I’d love to hear about it.