I’ve got a new fridge freezer.

Nathan, named after one of its delivery drivers, is greatly to be admired.

He’s holding court in my kitchen, where he purrs in his black gloss outer, revealing to me the delights within from his illuminated interior. He has an egg tray (we’re not sure why), a split shelf for tall bottles (now that we do understand), and he can deliver ice of the cubed or crushed variety oh so easily. Nathan is an intelligent device.

I confess.  I’m in awe of what my new, inanimate friend has to offer, probably because we went a week in our household with no refrigeration at all, after a traumatic, overnight breakdown/meltdown/letdown by our previous model (who doesn’t deserve to be named – I can’t forgive easily).

And yes, the message isn’t lost on me that I’m being over-materialistic and self-centered, and have changed my allegiance to new Nathan without much thought for our previous side-by-side which served us well for 12 years (which I’m told is decent service for any kitchen appliance).

But Nathan has made a difference in my life, and I’m rewarding him by cleaning his shelves more regularly than I did for he who shall not be named, and I’m wiping the sticky finger marks off the impossible-to-keep-clean doors, so he knows how much I care. This level of commitment might not last long (I’m not renowned for my housecraft), but for now I’m hoping he will understand that he’s much appreciated, even if I don’t say it to him that often as our familiarity grows.

Last week, someone very close to me shared how wonderful they felt after getting some recognition at work.

And all it took to create this warm, fuzzy feeling, was for a senior manager to pick up the phone to say thank you for a good piece of work they thought had gone unnoticed (and not that they had expected to be noticed, as, in their words, they were just doing their job).

There was no promotion, no award or certificate, no presentation ceremony, no bonus, no voucher or commission, no public announcement or media alert. Just a simple, heartfelt, “thank you.”

If you were to look around your office today, or tomorrow, are there people there who crave a little appreciation? If one of them suddenly resigned, or moved teams, would you miss them and the work they did for you and with you?

And would they ever know it?

Have you got a Nathan you should say thank you to . . . soon?