Thank you for your Understanding

Thank you so much for your understanding. I’m not talking about when used as a sign off for bad news :

Hi there Matt, we are increasing the prices of…

Thank you for your understanding…

I am talking about when it’s used in a situation where someone really needs some understanding.

This time of the year is the time for understanding.

I received the lesson three ways.

My neighbor is the most polite, punctual, kind, and thoughtful of men. He is straightforward in the way that only the Dutch can be. He and his wife don’t have kids, and I look at their lives of simplicity with envy sometimes as I shuttle to practices and events, food shopping and birthday parties. My neighbor is trying to get together with us for dinner. The date has passed for the most recent invite without me even realising… and we have not even replied whether or not we can come. It should be easy to catch up for dinner, shouldn’t it? I apologised (again) and said I am not sure we have a single free night that we can all make in the next 2 weeks. He just said ‘Don’t Worry Matey, we will find a day that works.’

Thank you for your understanding, I said.

I received a phone call from one of my team members. A team member who would have to travel, lose a day of productivity at least, to get to our end of year work function. In case you have not noticed, real estate has kicked off again in some areas. Long story short, my colleague has decided to clear the decks, and make some hay. To un-mix my metaphors…. The decision has been made to open up the calendar so there is room to work again after months of low activity. Honesty, it’s not a problem. I get it.

Thank you for your understanding, she said.

And lastly – Lorene, the founder of the health collective my wife works within.

“Why does it all have to happen in December? I am sure that it can wait until January.”

This is where you get to give yourself a break.

Thank you for your understanding, you can say to yourself.

I was intending to give myself a break, and announce that this is the last post of the year….
…however I do have something rolling in my mind that I think needs to be shared, and I will schedule for next Thursday 28 December.

But in the meantime, have a safe and restful festive season and ‘show a little more kindness than you need to.’

This is the time of year for it.

I was the roadie / sound guy recently at an after hours school event ‘Christmas in the Country’ at my kids’ school. The deputy principal likes to play a bit of a gag in front of the parents by asking students to tell the crowd what they would like for Christmas, encouraging them to answer with the most extravagant, expensive gift possible. Without missing a beat each child responded ‘Family’ as their first ask. They have the right idea.