Here’s One Way to Show Thanks to Your Community This Weekend

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

The power of gratitude cannot be overstated. Being thankful enhances several facets of our lives, including strengthening relationships and improving sleep. Practicing gratitude has the power to change our outlook on life. It enhances our mental and emotional well-being and even benefits our physical health. Giving thanks makes us happy.

In the wake of a holiday that should be all about giving thanks, we’re going to keep the gratitude alive. General reflections of being thankful are great. But if you take the time to express personal thanks to those people in your life that may never know what they mean to you, it holds the power to move people’s hearts and spread real joy.

We have the ability, with one small gesture, to make people “ecstatic.” Let’s spread the love this weekend.

We’re thinking a little outside the box here. Definitely write something to family members and friends if you want to, but especially consider those people you’re thankful for who you don’t have much of an opportunity to thank.

Send emails, when appropriate (to colleagues, old teachers, current teachers, etc.), but don’t underestimate the power of a hand-written note. Think of it this way: If tracking down an address impedes your efforts, write an email, but when you can, write something on paper and mail it or hand deliver it.

Here are some ideas:

• Your “pal” at Trader Joe’s who always chats with you about the samples. They make grocery shopping happier.
• The principal who stands outside in the hottest spot at the car pickup line so the teachers don’t have to.
• The high school teacher who pushed you hard in English class yet somehow knew you’d be mortified to parse sentences into their grammatical components at the chalkboard and never called on you to do it.
• Your childhood best friend’s mother, who always had a spot for you on her living room couch and taught you to quilt.
• The neighbor who makes home feel even more like home.
• The coach who helped you or your kids learn what it means to push yourself and work as a team and who’s done it through love and connection.
• The editor who takes the time to talk with you regularly and who makes space for you to work around your large family’s hectic schedule. (Editor’s note: Shifrah, thank you for your inspired ideas and wealth of cleaning knowledge!)
• The friend who made that one seemingly small uplifting comment when you shared something personal with her.
• The librarian who selected books for you and put them on hold for you over a matter of weeks.

Who will you thank?

You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.