When Kindness Abounds

My dear friends,

I’ve always been self sufficient. Always. More comfortable when I’m helping others than when others are helping me. At work and at home, I still don’t know how to react to compliments. I despise annual evaluations, even if oftentimes they are good. I’ve been used and taken advantage of because giving is more my element.

 I never ask for favors.

Ever.

Right or wrong, I’ve been gauging the validity of my friendships by waiting for others to reach out to me. To invest. To take time to bother finding out how I am, how my life has been. I know it may not be the right way – to expect others to be able to read my mind – but through the years I’ve learned that friendships don’t thrive on a one way street. Both parties need to be united in understanding. In commitment and respect and value.

So…about a month ago, I impulsively messaged you all about an idea that came to me at 4 am one morning. I asked for help in promoting my book. I was so uncomfortable about it, I regretted hitting SEND as soon as I did.  I even deleted the message two weeks after I posted it, worried that it would remind you of what an idiot I was every time you opened Facebook Messenger. Of course, I will not tell our readers what we plan to do for obvious reasons (a.k.a. the element of surprise), but the response to this request was less than successful. It was also very telling:

1. People have lives and are very busy
2. We have a long way to go in supporting each other in this industry.
3. I’m annoying and bothersome and shouldn’t have asked for such a favor.

Enough about the people who did not respond.

This post is for the people who did.

For you, my friends, acquaintances and co-authors – the ones who took a few minutes out of your very hectic lives to show me kindness – I THANK YOU. As a person who is not used to being on the receiving end, it has overwhelmed me to tears. I don’t know if I can ever repay you for what you’ve done for me, but please know that I will find a way to pay it forward. Your generosity and support means the world to me. I know in my heart that you will make this Book Release one I will never, ever forget.

As one of you put it – “People help people, that’s what we do.”

When all is said and done, I think we should all leave it at that.

xo