It was tender shoot
Though the bark was cracked
It was one of the lot
Though it stood apart, aloof.
And though it appeared hard and dry
What it needed was not an ocean:
A waste when poured upon its thirst.
And though it spread cheerless and careless
What it needed was not a room:
A waster when served its want for space.
All it needed was just a drop.
Who would believe a drop of care
Would soothe such drought
But that was all that turned the tide:
Appreciation was all it needed to bud.

I worked with a group where nobody cared for anyone else but themselves and it was very obvious you could get lost and not be missed. I am not one to fish for anything so I quietly settled into that routine. Every day I gave my best but it was all toil and hard as work should be so I didn’t think it unusual. It could have been better but it was what it was and I wasn’t mooning over anything. Besides, I have never seen myself as one who pines for recognition and appreciation. I just do my job and I feel good when I’ve given my best. I don’t see myself as needing any special encouragement to do what I ought or to be easily discouraged because of lack of appreciation. Am I paid as agreed? Yes, then end of story – that’s what I signed up for.

After a while, the wind of change blew me out of there and I felt displaced, unwanted, and rejected. The memory of the new group in my mind , gathered from those who have been there, was misery and was therefore nothing to look forward to. But it was a unique arrangement that only God could have orchestrated though I was only seeing the unpleasant aspect for which I had always turned it down. By virtue of this unique arrangement, God had me planted in a group where my value was recognized and appreciated and in a twinkle of an eye, I saw myself blossom.

It wasn’t a promotion. I didn’t get any raise. It was just a mere inevitable shift and my disposition was transformed. I was glowing from the inside out. At last, I was allowed room to be, to work, in an atmosphere devoid of disregard and disrespect. Work became exciting and the challenges had me going out of my way to researching to improve delivery and provide better solution in my area of expertise. I was willing to step in and help wherever I could, including stepping out of my comfort zone. I could take that risk because I felt relevant, I felt appreciated even if no one actually put those in words or in a letter. The attitude of those I was working with said it all from day to day and that was the motivation I needed to dig into each day, the wings I needed to rise above the sinking weather that prevailed at the time.

Prior to then, I had always assumed that I am an okay person who would thrive wherever I find myself; that I can do with or without anything. I know who I am and I know where I fit and I don’t struggle with anybody over anything, or pine for what is not there. I am a survivor irrespective of wherever I find myself. Whatever the situation: I pull through. Those attributes of me remain but the change also taught me another aspect of me I was probably taking for granted: that every human being values appreciation whatever the roles or conditions and that I am not an exception.

We don’t have to give people the world for them to give us their best. If the right environment is provided, people will go out of their way to achieve the impossible. If every spouse will take this to heart; if every parent; every employer; every person in leadership position; if every one of us in our various fields and roles would take this heart, what a better life we’ll all enjoy.

Glory!