Sunshine and Olly

by Jonathan Blaustein

I am rarely passive aggressive.

Just not my thing.

I grew up around that energy, and despise it, so we definitely don’t tolerate it in our home.

(Not normally a problem. My wife, kids and dogs are amazing.)

Occasionally, though, I’ll fall into the behavior.

One time, I did a solid favor for a colleague.

Went out of my way to set up an intro, (suavely,) that got said colleague invited to a festival in a different, phenomenal city.

I even said beforehand, “Hey, would you like me to hook you up, b/c I’m sure we can get you invited there?”

Honestly, I used to do that connecting shit all the time, but in this case, a few months later, I read the person’s name on that festival list, yet I never got a thank you.

It rubbed me wrong.

A few days a later, I made a generic posting on FB about how important it is to thank people, and express gratitude, when they’ve done you a solid.

It appeared general, but the message conveyed, because that colleague reached out, thanked me, and apologized for not having done so sooner.

Did I feel great about what I’d done?

No. Not really.

Like I said, I try my best not to be passive aggressive.

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I am, though, a big believer in gratitude, and manners.

My kids are polite as hell, all please and thank you, because we live with so much love and respect.

(Positive energy can create virtuous cycles, once it’s properly released into the world.)

So… with all that build up…

Thank you very much!

Seriously.

Thank you!

The amount of support I have received since Tuesday, when I wrote that honest piece about what it feels like to be a middle-aged artist these days, it’s been massive.

And so many people have reached out to say they’re going through similar things.

It’s not just me.

(Again, part of why I wrote it was I’d been getting private confessions over the last 9 months.)

Lately, FB has also allowed some community dialogue to develop, which is something I’ve actively tried to cultivate here at Sunshine and Olly.

Beyond that, the blog has been read on every continent in the last few days. (Except Antarctica.)

People are digging into the archive, our readership numbers have skyrocketed, and it’s happening everywhere.

So like I said, thank you very much!

I appreciate each and every person who reads this blog, and all the people who’ve contacted me.

(Talk about a change in perspective over a few days.)

So let’s end it here, shall we?

I hope all is well, wherever you are, as Sunshine and Olly is a proper global publication.