Member-only story
“Thank you for all that you do.”
Seven words that make an impact
I warmly thanked a UPS deliveryman today with this brief message.
His response was:
You’re welcome! Thank you for noticing me.
The latter part of his response, along with the look of surprise on his face when I thanked him, made me think about how often service industry workers are overlooked.
It wasn’t until I worked retail that I realized how much work and effort goes into making sure the displays are neatly stocked, items are labeled, etc. to support the everyday functioning of a store.
It wasn’t until I worked at Bojangles that I realized how much work goes into maintaining the drive-thru: the sweeping, cleaning, lifting, filling, and more that’s required of the job.
And even at the library, there are parallels to what I did in stores.
But again, it seems like there’s a lot of invisible labor that people don’t think about. Not just physical labor but also mental and emotional.
I thanked the delivery driver today because I thought back to my experience working at the library. The times I felt most appreciated were when two different people uttered those seven words to me on separate occasions.
I think a little bit of gratitude and kindness can go a long way. I urge you to consider using this phrase with people you care deeply about, as well as the people whose efforts often go unnoticed in the world.
We could all use a little more appreciation.
