With Easter being last Sunday, we all sort of just forget that there are people out there who don’t get to spend this holiday with their family. They are out serving us and doing stuff to keep society running. With that being said there are plenty of people you should thank on a regular basis, but most of us don’t.

1. Nurses

Didn’t think about them, huh? They are always out there to save our lives on a whim, and they do not spend as much time on holidays with their families because they are helping sick people and hurting families. My mom is a nurse, and every other holiday she spends at work instead of with her family. It isn’t fair. Nurses do not get enough praise for the work they do. They are always smiling even if they held someone’s hand as they were passing.

2. Police officers

I know people do not think that they are all bad, but I disagree. Just like there are bad people in every profession, there can be bad police officers. Where I come from though, you are thankful for these men and women for doing everything they can to protect you. Police Officers have your best interest in mind, and you should thank them more often, not bash them.

3. First responders

These people go overlooked a lot. There’s a wreck? They are there. If your house is on fire? They are the first people to risk their lives to save yours. They don’t get enough praise, either. They see some of the worst of the worst. They have seen it all, and I am sure it haunts them. These people deserve a thank you whenever you see them, most of them are civilians and just volunteer for that.

4. Military members

Sure you think this is obvious, but these people spend months and even years away from their families just so yours can stay safe and sleep well at night. That should be all I have to say on that one.

5. Your parents

As crazy as it sounds, I am so thankful for my mom and everything she has done for me. She is one of my best friends and I don’t know what I would do without that crazy lady. They do so much for you, and if your parents are like mine, they would give everything they have for you.

6. Your best friend

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Best friends are always there. You can call them at 2 a.m. just to say I love you and they would answer just to make sure you’re okay. Or we all have that one friend that lives far away and miss them on a daily basis. If they still talk to you, they are a keeper. I love my friends. I could not do anything without them.

7. Your waitress/waiter

Something I cannot say enough is, more likely than not, it isn’t your waitress’ fault. They didn’t make the food. They are serving many tables at once so if they forget your straw or honey mustard do not get short with them. Most importantly, do not tip them less because they forgot something small, tell them. They would be more than happy to get it for you. They live off tips. Everywhere I go I tip at least 20% because I know it is their wage.

8. Retail workers

I cannot stress this enough, BE NICE. These people are trying to make a living. You yelling at us and stomping away only makes us talk about you to everyone in the back and makes you look like a child in the middle of everyone. If you’re like me and work retail as a job, then you know, just like I do, that people are mean and take everything out of them even if its store policy. They can’t control that. Just be nice to these people, their job is basically to get yelled at on a daily basis. These people help keep your favorite things in stock, just be nice to them. One last thing, if they say they don’t have something, do not make them go to the back to look. They are just going to go back there and wait for you to leave or come back and say they did not see one.

So thankful for all these people. They keep our lives going and keeps us in balance. I challenge you to thank someone every day for the next two weeks. It will really change your life, especially if you keep it up. I promise.