Do I show appreciation for those who deserve it? HDIFAT?
The simple answer is, "Not enough." The big question is, "Who deserves it?" The answer to this depends on the moment. What is important at any given moment helps to define who deserves to be appreciated. Those who are fighting for our country deserve to be appreciated. But when they are yelling at you at 3 o'clock in the morning demanding narcotics for their addiction, it is hard to remember that they deserve appreciation. Those who are closest to me deserve appreciation. My husband and children are at the top of my list, and while my goal in life is to make them happy and feel appreciated and loved, I often get caught up in getting ready for our everyday routine, getting dressed, fed, cleaned, and rested. When they interfere with "the schedule," I forget to show them how much I appreciated them. My parents deserve to be appreciated, but I only recently realized this, having taken them for granted for so many years, and only understanding what they had gone through raising me and my sisters, now that I am raising a family of my own.
Nearly everyone deserves appreciation. We usually show people appreciation when it is most convenient, and not necessarily when it is most deserved.
