Ten

Written to Staples (my local Pittsburgh location):

Dear Staples team,

Thank you for distributing the wonderful TechniMobili desk! My fiance and I have purchased three from your website and stores!

#1 resides in the second bedroom of our Pittsburgh apartment. I work from home, and I have found it comfortable and spacious.

#2 was purchased for my old room back at my parents' home in Long Island. My visits are frequent, so it has been great to have an ergonomic workdesk that can easily be compacted as needed.

#3 is in our apartment's living/dining area. My fiance uses it most evenings when he gets home from work, and I'm happy that it got him to a more comfortable work space -- dining tables are not ideal for extensive computer work!

I've had great improvements in my arm/wrist/shoulder positioning with this desk, and the price is very reasonable. I appreciate that there's plenty of room for a laptop, external monitor, and any accessories like speakers, a modem, etc.

Thank you once again for distributing such a great product - I'm sure I'll be enjoying these desks for years to come!

Sincerely,

Hima Tadoori

Mailed Friday September 23, 2011

Response from BAGGU!

These components of a lovely note -- a graphic card front with handwritten text inside -- were included in an unexpected package from BAGGU that showed up in my mailbox this afternoon! The plastic pouch also contained gifts. There were two neatly compartmented reusable bags - one was a regular size in a great leopard-type print, and the other was a blue "baby" BAGGU, the product line's smaller version that is great for snacks and even lunches as well as low-volume errands.

What really excited me, however, was the words I read in the notecard shown -- I couldn't believe that the first Thank You that I had sent out in this projected was passed around in the company's California office then sent to the other side of the country for staff in New York to enjoy. That completely amazes me. I started this project to send more appreciation and gratitude into the universe, but I had no idea that it could have such a widespread effect. I am so happy that I am doing this - I don't care how long it takes me, I will do everything in my power to send out my Thousand Thank Yous!!!!

Response from a New York Times Bestselling Author!!!!

So I returned to Pittsburgh last night after two weeks away..As one can see by the dates of my blog posts, I haven't mailed out any Thank Yous in awhile. This has partly been due to the increased demands of wedding planning (less than two months away, yowsa!) and my Type A tendencies. Regarding the latter, I feel the need to write my Thank Yous in a very methodical, perfect way which takes more time than simply writing a note, applying the appropriate postage, and dropping in the mail. So, I have decided to at least write one Thank You a week - not ambitious at all, but doable. The ideas for the Thank Yous fill my head every day, but it's the action of sitting down to write them that I sidestep when I get busy with the rest of my life.

Back to the topic of this post - on checking the pile of mail that had built up for me these past two weeks, I saw a notecard envelope with a handwritten address and the name "Gretchen Rubin" written in above the return address on the flap!! I was ecstatic!! I ripped the envelope open as gently as I could to preserve it, and pulled out a heavy stock notecard that read as follows:

Dear Hima,

Thanks so much for your lovely note! I'm thrilled to hear that my worked resonated with you -- I so appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

Good luck with your happiness project!

Warmly,
Gretchen


Ahhhh!! That just felt amazing. And one of the best parts was that I realized that I was so thankful that Ms. Rubin had simply taken the time to show her appreciation to me -- it felt so good!

With that, I'll post to the blog at least once a week, and more as life permits!!

One of my Thank Yous hits the net!

So the recipient of Thank You number Four emailed me today to let me know she had actually scanned and posted my Thank You letter to her business' website as a Testimonial! I of course checked it out immediately:

http://www.thebrowsrus.com/Testimonial.aspx

And was happy to see my handwriting to her again. Nice to know that the good vibes sent out in a thank you can keep on vibing for some time. =)

Nine

Written Friday July 15, mailed Monday July 18....To Garth, the salesperson at South Hills Honda who managed the leasing of my car..I had received at least 3 typed-up thank yous from him over the past four months, so I figured a handwritten one back might be nice. Car dealers are people too! ;)

Eight

A tricky one, because I couldn't find a postal mailing address for this author. So, I mailed her publisher (address on inside pages of book) writing "Attn: Gretchen Rubin" and crossing my fingers that it gets to her! Written yesterday, mailed today:

Dear Gretchen,

On Friday June 24, my fiance and I arrived the Pittsburgh airport and found out that our flight to New York was delayed. I wasn't perturbed much since I had my Kindle to keep me occupied However, my Kindle malfunctioned and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Instead of calling Amazon, I decided to check out the nearby store for some entertainment.

I scanned the shelves several times and couldn't find a book or magazine that I liked. Correction -- I couldn't find one that I was willing to spend money on since I had a (broken) Kindle full of digital books back at the gate. Before leaving the store I decided to scan one last time and saw your book "The Happiness Project". I read the full title cover, liked your honest face, and bought it.

I returned to the gate and read the book while the plane was being serviced. I read it after boarding and through the entire flight. I read it during the HOUR after we landed and circled the airport waiting for a gate to taxi at. I read it on the entire flight back to Pittsburgh that Sunday. I read it on subsequent random evenings in my living room, and I finished it last Thursday!

I loved it. I love how you tell your story and what your project did for you. I have yet to formally begin my own Happiness Project, but I already randomly remember snippets of yours, ones about cutting people slack, or spending out, or sleeping when my body tells me I'm tired even if there is another "Housewives" episode on.

I look forward to seeing the continued effects your book will have on my life, and I thank you for putting it all out there!

Sincerely,

Hima Tadoori

Seven

My first international Thank You. Written yesterday, mailed today:

Dear Rafa,

I have been watching or playing tennis since I was a child, but I have never enjoyed watching matches as much as when you have been on the court! Thank you for working so hard to be an athlete of your caliber. Your dedication to the sport and your intensive training show through in every set and game, and on every point. Your grace, whether shared after winning or not, is highly respected. I hope to watch you play for many years to come and wish you even more happiness and success than you've already earned and are enjoying!

Love your fan,

Hima

Six

Written yesterday, mailed today:

Hi Tootsie,

I hope you are doing well! I'm not sure if you know but I got engaged and moved to Pittsburgh last October! It's been a busy year with lots of change, but I still love to dance. I joined a nearby gym and have been trying different dance/cardio classes. I was away for awhile and I'm returning to the gym and dance classes this week, and in the process I remembered you and wanted to write and thank you for doing what you do! I am sad that I no longer get to enjoy your
classes being hundreds of miles away, but I feel so lucky that I got to have you has a dance teacher while I lived in Manhattan. The students you teach are so blessed to have you near them and I hope they make that clear to you! Perhaps one day I'll come upon another instructor who is so fun to learn from, rarely turns down the music, and pushes me (safely) to my limits. In the meantime, I'll keep your spirit and flow in mind whenever my feet hit the dance floor! Thanks again and keep dancing!

Love,

Hima

A Response!

I'll admit I've been eagerly checking my hima@thousandthankyous.com e-mail account, especially a few days after sending out each Thank You. However on some note cards I included my Gmail address, and I got a response to one of my cards this morning! It was Dipali, and she appreciated the "beautiful card" and "nice comment". I was so happy to read that!

Five

Written Wednesday June 22

I thanked Stephanie Jaeger, a trading advisor has helped me improve at what it is I am learning to master. I am so grateful for her help!

(Mailed a few days later)

Four

Written Wednesday June 22 (mailed a few days later)

Dear Dipali,

It was great meeting you yesterday at your salon. Thank you for doing such a great job on my threading, etc -- I had no skin irritation whatsoever afterwards! More importantly you
were very friendly and made me feel comfortable in a new place. I'm so happy and relieved to have found someone I can count on for my beauty needs here in Pittsburgh. Thanks again
and I'll see you next time!

Sincerely,

Hima

Early Hiatus over - back at it!

So it's been awhile since I've posted my Thank Yous, but it wasn't because I hadn't written any! I just wasn't making a point to update the blog/my site promptly and share what I've been doing.

On a random note though, when my Kindle "broke down" a couple weeks ago as I was waiting to fly to New York, I got my hands on The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and read over half of it over the course of my weekend trip. I finished it last night and LOVED it. And I am wondering if my project fits into any genre - it's not quite a "stunt" because I haven't set out to write all of my Thank Yous in one calendar year. However, it is a project towards self-improvement and growth and partaking in it is making me happy.

I've started keeping a running list in my Iphone of ideas of people to thank, preventing the loss of an idea simply because I'm not near pen, paper, or my computer at that. I also realized that although I've written Five Thank Yous so far (the other two shared in the subsequent posts), I have Nine Hundred Ninety-Five to go, and I need to find a way to resolve some doubts I've already experienced. First, what type of contact/return information should I be including within the card? And second, should I be making each recipient aware of my project and their place in it?

For the latter question, I think the answer is a resounding Yes. My fear that it will demean the value of the Thank You by making it a specimen in a social experiment stems from my greater fears/discomfort with sharing Thank Yous that started this entire project! As for what type of information to include and how to format it, my best bet is to create a business card sharing a few key pieces of information.

So, I'm off to update the site and create my method of contact information sharing!

Three

Mailed out on Monday June 20 to the owners of Cafe Zinho:

Dear Toni and Becky,

Thank you for making such a wonderful restaurant available to the residents of Shadyside and all of Pittsburgh! My fiance and I dined at Zinho Saturday night and truly enjoyed ourselves. The timbale with langostine was light but yet very flavorful. My grouper entree special was delicious. My fiance had the mushroom ravioli which he enjoyed but had to save for later -- a wonderful testament to your ample portions! The tres leches cake was divine -- loved the fresh berries on it, and it was so delicate yet rich at the same time, one of the best I've ever had! The food was excellent, but so was the service -- our server was very friendly and attentive. We look forward to dining at your establishment in the future, and will definitely remember the "BYOB" part! =)

Sincerely,

Hima Tadoori

Dollars, and Sense

I just wrote my second Thank You letter which is ready to be mailed out. As I applied the Forever Liberty Bell stamp to the envelope, I realized that my project will incur a monetary cost to some degree, and the Type-A side of me is interested in tracking it.

So, in the name of conservation and reducing waste, I will first only use stationary and stamps that already exist in my apartment.

After writing Thank Yous One and Two and discarding any stationary that was in sub-par condition, I have counted 71 notecards with matching envelopes to use. However I only have 10 stamps. So, I'll pick some up as my supply dwindles and keep track of the expense from there. I'll be spending over $400 on stamps over the course of this project, but hopefully I can score some quality stationary for good prices. The paper on which the Thank You is delivered is almost as important as the message itself!

Two

To send to William-Sonoma on Walnut Street in Shadyside, Pittsburgh:

Dear Tanya and Patti,

Thank you for leading last night's cooking class. I picked up a lot of tips that will help me as I expand my cooking skills, and I really liked the food you prepared as well. I plan to recreate most of the menu items at some point down the road, and will definitely explore more of Bobby Flay's recipes, now that I have seen how easily they can be recreated at home. Thanks again for
taking the time to teach, inform & cook for the group!

Sincerely,

Hima Tadoori

*Wrote in hima@thousandthankyous.com as my email address. Used my no-name earth-tone stationary with Asian-style art and script.

One

As I was cleaning through my inbox today, I came across a Daily Candy message that referred to zippered shoe covers that looked very familiar - I soon realized they were BAGGU products! I quickly smiled as I thought of my BAGGU bags and how how helpful they've been - my subsequent letter to the Baggu Office in Del Mar, California reads as follows:

Dear folks at Baggu,

I just wanted to write and thank you for making such wonderful products! I've been using your bags for a few years now, and I love them for many reasons...

1) They hold my groceries so well! No more broken handles on Trader Joe's paper bags or low-quality plastic types!

2) They fit my 5'1" stature -- I can walk with my arms fully extended, Baggu in hand, and not graze the ground!

3) They come in attention-catching colors like Electric Purple and basic ones like Black -- love the range!

Thank you again for doing what you do and selling these bags to gals like me!

Sincerely,

Hima Tadoori

*Written on my fun "Graphique De France" map notecards. After sealing the envelope, realized I didn't put any contact info in there! So on the back I wrote "Forgot to add inside: Email is hima@thousandthankyous.com"