I spent lots of time yesterday in the office, moving stuff (the position of the monitor was really bothering me, it was elevated and ever since I changed things around to let in more light from the window, it wasn’t entirely viewable from all positions) and I changed the towel that Brian has covering his files/paperwork to protect them from cat pee. The towel was pretty stiff and I put up a clean one.
When he sat down at his computer yesterday, one of the first things he said was “thanks for changing the towel”. It was a little thing, but it made me feel good. It’s always nice to know that what you do is noticed and welcomed. I got to thinking about everyday interactions. We’ve been together over twenty years now (twenty one years on New Year’s Eve) and for the most part, we treat each other with respect. We don’t bark orders at one another, we ask “could you do this or that?”, we don’t say “do this or that”. Like “could you please fill the cat feeder in the dining room” or “could you please wash my jeans today?” I think we say “thanks” more than we say “please”.
But, all in all, I think we show each other respect. What about you?