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Thank You

Each day we say thank you in different ways: face to face, by phone, email, text etc. Thank you. Two simple words that hold so much power and meaning, yet, in recent years, has become an automatic response. When we were young, we were taught that the words thank you where necessary to show our gratitude after being given something like candy or a toy. When someone did something for us, we were told to say thank you. However, in recent years, these two words have seemed to have lost their true meaning and power, becoming automatic responses with no genuine sign of gratitude to support it. To put it briefly, saying thank you became a social norm for all the wrong reasons, causing us to simply say it with no intention of actually meaning it. The word thank derives from think which means “good thoughts, gratitude” or better yet “I will remember what you did for me.” Yet how many times do we actually stop to think about all the things that have been given to us? How many times do we take a moment to remember all the good things people have done for us? Because if you're like me, I haven't thought about it as much as i should have. I, like many other people, say thank you without giving it much thought. It's simpler that way. So what if the earring my grandparents got me took years to pay off? I said thank you when they gave them to me so what's the big deal? Well the thing that I forget to consider is how much time, effort and thought my grandparents put into getting me the perfect set of earrings and to say thank you with no conscious gratitude is just insulting. I think this applies not only to me but to a lot of people as well. Sometimes we forget how much people do for us and how much a wholehearted thank you can make it all the worthwhile. In the America I want to live in, I would like to see people demonstrate that they truly do value and appreciate what others have done for us or what others have given us. With small gestures, a smile, maybe even a gift in return we can show our appreciation.