Why write a thank you note? Simply because you are grateful for something. It could be for a gift you received or a good deed done by another person. You just might want to acknowledge a friend or someone more than a friend. Whatever the case may be, a handwritten thank you carries a lot of weight and meaning.

You might think showing appreciation through a text or email is sufficient, and at times it may be, but it just isn’t the same as a handwritten note.

Alexander Coronado, a UNF neuroscience sophomore, said, “A thank you note is better than verbal gratitude; it’s something tangible you get to keep — it feels more personal.” It is nice receiving a note in the mail. Taking the time to handwrite a thank you is well worth the investment.

When I moved to Jacksonville to go to UNF, I wanted to transfer my job from the company’s Orlando location to one closer to campus. The new manager turned me down because he didn’t need any more transfers. Later that day, I decided not to give up. I wrote that manager a card thanking him for his consideration anyway. He was delighted and promptly took me on as an addition to his staff. After getting hired, I sent him a thank you note for hiring me, which impressed him enough to give me a raise and then an offer for a promotion within a few weeks of moving to his store.

Say you agree with the usefulness of these thank you’s, but you excuse yourself from writing one because it just slips your mind and you forget. As a college student, time flies by because you’re so busy with classes, work, and maintaining some kind of social life.

I asked Ben Bulthuis, a UNF economics graduate student, if he utilized thank you cards. Bulthius said “Unfortunately not. I always forget.” You might think a couple weeks later, “Well it’s too late now,” and decide not to send anything. According to eHow’s Etiquette Timeline, “Even if you feel that you have waited too long to send a note, send it anyway. It is never too late to show appreciation for another person’s generosity or kindness.”

You might be wondering how one goes about writing these cards. Lucky for us, my mom is a strict thank you card expert and I am in a position to pass along this useful bit of advice.

First things first, do you know how to address an envelope? When I first moved away to college, I had to ask my mom how to properly prepare my letters to be mailed. We might have been taught how to do this in elementary school, but I never addressed my own envelopes as a kid, and I doubt many people did. Fortunately, we are all adults here and have access to many tutorials on the internet to assist in your gratitude endeavors.

Basically, you have no good excuse to let good deeds go unappreciated. Take the time, make the effort, and use a tried-and-true method to thank someone.

Thank you for reading this article.

See? That wasn’t so difficult.