Perhaps Saying Thank You

Thank you!

Thank you for helping me today!

Thank you for listening when I needed to talk about my rough day.

Thank you for being patient with me.

Expressing gratitude has become a secret passion of mine. While I wasn't always mindful of it, recent years have brought greater self-awareness. My former boss, Ravi, instilled in me the importance of thanking people each time they make your life easier.

"Every time you resolve a programming bug," Ravi once said to me, "you save me from a barrage of emails - from my boss, customers, and lateral teams questioning its impact on release. You invest hours to solve an issue for me, and all it takes from me is a mere 10 seconds to type 'Thank you for closing that bug! Great job!' Why wouldn't I express gratitude each time you save me from problems?" 

I've always felt that Ravi was onto something. After all, I loathe very few things in life as much as a CSS Internet Explorer 10 bug, but when Ravi asked me... I consistently felt proud and excited to do a good job for him.

Today, our country grapples with insidious uncertainty. The world holds its breath, recoiling at the never-ending bloodshed, for hatred has become our anthem. Some metamorphose into ostriches, burying their heads in the proverbial sand of privilege. However, for many of us, denial is not a luxury we can afford. Our communities, homes, and very front yards are crackling into a blue ablaze. What are we to do?

Perhaps we start by saying thank you.

Thank you for serving your community!

Thank you for helping me with my coffee order today!

Thank you for allowing me a payment plan!

Thank you for doing your best!

Perhaps saying thank you is, in fact, exactly what the world demands of us to do.