I'd like to take a moment to thank those who serve. To those who give their time and energy to make my life better, thank you. To those who allow me to enjoy myself and live comfortably at their expense, thank you.

This thank you is not to our typical service men and women. This thank you is not to the men and women of the military, it is not to the police force or the fire fighters. These are people well deserving of praise and "thank-yous." However, I would say that they (even police officers, despite the heat they've been facing lately) already get many "thank-yous." Today, I am taking a moment to thank the waiters and waitresses, to thank the bussers, the cashiers, the janitors; I am taking a moment to thank the people who we sometimes forget exists.

Last summer, I worked in a Walmart deli. This summer, I am a breakfast attendant at a local hotel. Both summers I have thoroughly experienced what it is to be treated as if you are a robot that receives orders and functions without thought. I have learned how high people's comments can take you as well as how close they can push 'til they break you. Too often we take for granted these people, seeing them not even as people, but rather as tools.

As a deli worker, I was a means to meat; a customer placed an order and I filled it. The expectation was meat and cheese sliced perfectly the way you want it. The expectation is quick service, one minute maximum. There is no consideration of the inconsistency of machines. There is no thought that it's not physically possible to slice a pound of meat, even if it is chipped, in fewer than two minutes. Customers don't stop to consider the crowds around the counter, or the day the deli worker may have had. They want to press a button and be served, no humanness involved.

As a breakfast attendant, I am a ceaseless fount of food and beverage; a guest desires breakfast and I provided all available options. The expectation is fully-stocked pastry drawers and refilled milks. The expectation is utensils refilled, tables wiped and the freshest sausage all at the same second. There is no consideration of the crowds around you. There is no thought to the understaffing of the kitchen. Guests don't stop to think, "Hey, maybe this person is doing the best that they can given the circumstances." Guests think, "This hotel needs to fix their food dispensers; I have been inconvenienced."

I realize that this probably sounds dramatic to you, possibly blown out of proportion. I challenge you to stop to think about the last time you interacted with any public service. Did you notice them? Did you really see the person serving you, from the ride operator to the waitress to the cashier? Or did you simply see the things that they did, noticing the actual person only if something went exceptionally wrong? Did you stop to consider that the doctor you're waiting on has waited on ten patients that day?

Maybe you did notice them. Maybe you recognized them with a smile.

But...

Did you thank them? Did you take the time to truly and genuinely acknowledge them for the work that they have done for you? If you haven't, I encourage you to start today. I think there's something about our culture that says "everything is about me" and "all that matters is your own happiness." We don't look outside ourselves, but if you would, you would have the power to change lives. It's really just a small thing. See the people around you and acknowledge that they matter. I have at least one guest a day look at me and comment that I have my hands full with the flow of people, or that I'm doing a great job. It is by those comments and the grace of God that I have not fully succumbed to the panic attacks that threaten to consume me, all because they took the time to see me.

I challenge you to thank those who serve you. Don't take it for granted because "it's their job" and don't get frustrated because their humanness is an inconvenience to you. Thank them because those small service men and women, contribute to the very core of the American lifestyle. Our other service men and women commit their lives to protecting ours, these service men and women use their lives to enhance ours.

Thank you to the unseen, behind-the-scenes help. There are so many little things you do; I don't know if I could thank you for it all.

God Bless.