merci

Stationery by Mooseart on Etsy.

Are you good about saying “thank you”?

Admission: I’m not.

Some people keep desks full of exquisite stationery and sign them with flourishing gratitude. Me, I can’t find a stamp in the junk drawer so I give up before I even start. And my address book? Last seen in 2009, scribbled over by toddler’s crayons. And glitter glue. And strawberry applesauce.

Yeah, despite organizing PiBoIdMo every year, in daily life, I’m highly unorganized. Neatness and order doesn’t compute. I leave dishes in the sink. Piles of unfolded clothes litter the laundry room. A confused conglomeration of bags and boxes accumulate under the stairwell. I’m afraid to know what small animals have taken residence there. (Fodder for my next picture book manuscript?)

Saying “thank you” has always been difficult. When someone offers a compliment, I deflect it with self-deprecating remarks. My goal is to let the person know whatever I did was simple, something they could just have easily accomplished. It feels braggart to accept a compliment. So I don’t take them. The attention feels uncomfortable. Little did I know how rude it was to not respond with “thank you”.

I like to give, not receive. Don’t ask me why. Some psychologist is gonna have a field day with this. But I do have a point, beyond being called in for a head-shrinking session.

I’d like to say “thank you” to YOU for helping me to achieve a rewarding 2013.

  • To all the people who purchased my debut picture book THE MONSTORE, thank you.
  • To those who voted for my book and my blog in various end-of-year superlatives, thank you.
  • To everyone who follows me here or on Facebook and Twitter, thank you.
  • To the participants, authors, illustrators and agents of PiBoIdMo, thank you.
  • To those who have asked me to guest blog, speak or present, thank you.
  • To the authors who wrote all the books I read in 2013, thank you. (Yes, I must thank them—they kept me happily entertained!)

This past year has been a tremendously gratifying one for me, and I would be amiss if I didn’t extend my gratitude.

So THANK YOU.

May your 2014 be productive and successful!

And now, to find that address book…

Yep, I still haven’t mailed out my holiday cards. *sigh*

happynewyear