“What do you say?”
“Please.”
“Thank you.”
I grew up with this – always say “please” and “thank you.”
But these days, I really say “thank you!” In fact the words “Thank You Thank You Thank You” are sort of a mantra – a prayer. I wake with “thank you for my comfortable bed, thank you for good sleep, thank you for our home, thank you for water to drink, thank you for my healthy body…” “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
The magic words are “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Especially now.
“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one alot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” Alice Walker
I love to say “thank you so much for being here!” every time I go to the grocery store, or the doctor, or the post office, or… I am always pleased and surprised when people light up at being thanked. They really light up! What an easy way to spread love, appreciation, kindness! Peace!
I wave and mouth “thank you” to other drivers who let me in, or signal for me to go at a stop sign. They wave back.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we were doing better at thanking those essential workers on the front lines. But now, we take them for granted. We are tired of the pandemic, masks, restrictions. We are grumpy, and we forget to say “thank you” to those essential workers who continue to risk infection by being there for us.
We can do this! “Thank you for being here!” “Thank you thank you thank you!”
“As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest form of appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy