Five little words have such amazing power, yet we often forget to use them. They cost us nothing other than a small utterance, a smile, and making the disciplined choice to encourage someone else…even during a time that may be counter to how we are feeling due to a state of stress, fear, anxiety, frustration, or anger that many are facing now during this pandemic. I hope we are realizing how much we truly need each other.
Ever since my two teenage boys were young, I have tried to model and teach them to always say, “Thank you for your service”. It has been mostly pointed at those that they can easily identify because they wear a uniform; our brave men and women that serve in the military, police/sheriff’s office, fireman, EMS, and airport TSA/security guards. My heart was to teach them gratitude and to thank the people they see around them who often do so much, but are rarely thanked and acknowledged for the amazing, selfless work they do. We have lost the fine art of looking for ways to make other people feel valued. I love what happens when I or my boys say those five little words, “Thank you for your service”, often the recipient is surprised, it puts a smile on their face, and they humbly say, “It’s my honor” or “My pleasure.”
Who else can you find to give the gift of those five words? During this time we must take a step back and realize how connected we are and the tremendous toll this virus is taking on so many…the physician, nurse, staff at hospitals and clinics and their families…the grocery store clerk, shelf stockers, sanitation/custodial staff…the Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS delivery person…gas station attendant, etc. There are so many more I could mention, but all of these people are putting their lives on the line to serve us and potentially putting their own families at risk.
I called my uncle yesterday to wish him a happy birthday, he is a retired family physician in a town just north of Atlanta, GA, (he is over 70 years old) and when he answered he said, “Hey Chris, can I call you back later? I am about to go into a room to see a patient.” Since he retired, he has been volunteering a few days a week at a free health care clinic because he loves to serve and take care of people. When he called me back late last night, he apologized for calling back so late, he and the other physician had been swamped. They treated many patients for a wide variety of issues as well as testing a number for the coronavirus. My uncle is at a very high risk of danger for this virus due to his age, but yet he chooses to do it anyway because he loves to serve others. Please take the time to call, text, email, or in person say, “Thank you for your service” to so many people like him that are choosing to put themselves in potential danger to serve you and I. We need to come together to support each other during this time.
I hope you choose to take these five little words and add them to your common vocabulary, especially during these unprecedented times. You never know, when you choose to use them it could give the hope and encouragement that person deeply needed to keep moving forward that day, our it could provide a spring in their step that makes them feel valued and significant, creating a ripple effect to others around them. Thank you for all that each of you do to make this world a better place!
Thank YOU for your service!
Thank you so much for reading, it is an honor to have your time! I hope something in this piece resonated with you and helped shift your mindset. If it did, please share it with friends that could benefit from it and would want to join our movement to change the world around you by focusing on YOU NOT ME.
-Chris
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