Dolly, Mr. Rogers and Handwritten Notes

I received 3 handwritten notes in the mail recently from three leaders for my company's Teammate Appreciation Week.

While I appreciated each and every one of those words, one particular sentence may have been the best compliment I could ever have received:

“You may not be our ‘Dottie,’ but I think you might be our ‘Dolly.’”

The “Dottie” reference is an inside joke. The Dolly reference? That’s DOLLY. As in Parton. As in one of the most respected humans on the planet. Dolly had just passed when those words were written, so she was, no doubt, top of mind. Still, I’ll take that comparison any day of the week.

A few years ago my kids — and later, a co-worker — compared me to Fred Rogers. As in Mr. Rogers. As in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I mean, if Dolly is at the top of the culturally respected list, Mr. Rogers has to be pretty high up there, right? That’s why I had to add the caveat about the Dolly sentence.

I know that I can’t hold a candle to Dolly or Mr. Rogers. That’s like putting a centimeter beside a yardstick. I also know that in the professional world you can be as nice as they come, but the kindness has to be backed by good work that contributes to an organizational goal.

I like to believe the stories I share in my day job do that. The writing, the editing, media placement and tracking (if you know, you know) are important. They are how I earn my paycheck. And, while you can’t make a house payment with kindness or appreciation, they sure are good currency among people, whether at work or elsewhere.

That’s why I’m grateful for these notes.

These thoughtful leaders bought stationery. They used ink pens. They bought postage stamps. They invested their time and effort and wrote a personal note.

In a world where people connect electronically and where words of affirmation live in an unseen data cloud, these got-them-in-my-actual-street-mailbox-from-the-post-office notes provide tangible appreciation and kindness. I can hold them in my hand, read them again on a rough day and file them in my "thank you notes" file in an actual manilla envelope.

They are lasting proof that it is entirely possible to work hard, to do good work AND be kind, thoughtful and appreciative.

I think Dolly and Mr. Rogers would approve.