Many eons ago, I worked as a counter girl at a pizzeria. As anyone who has ever worked in food services could tell you, working in a food establishment is life changing. In my experience, dealing with customers who were angry that their calamari was rubbery, taking down delivery orders for Mr. Mumbles and guessing what he said, and getting the absolute worst tip after providing the best service really shaped my character. In my short 5 months of working and eating free pizza, I could easily write a novel about my experiences, even four years later. Counteracting many of my horrible experiences, however, were the times I heard the literal music to my ears: “Thank you.”
Who knew that two words, or one word “thanks” if someone was really in a rush, would completely turn an experience around. Someone just cursed you out because their garlic knots were burnt? It’s okay, they said “thank you” once you gave them a brand new order with a couple extras. A family made the biggest mess because Baby Jimmy thought it would be funny to rub tomato sauce all over the table? It’s okay, they said “thank you” after you scrubbed it all off. I’m the type of person who needs verbal validation. Even in my non-terrible experiences, being thanked gives me the validation I need to keep going. There is something about the phrase that really can turn a situation around.
Flash forward to now, I have learned to value the “thank you” even more. As an executive board member of two organizations, giving “thank yous” is the core of respect. I am open to admit I am not half the leader without my peers. It’s my committee members, fellow eboard members, and the general body of my organizations whop really develop the ideas and changes that I am “leading.” I constantly thank them for their work because honestly, they make my job easy. It’s a huge sign of respect to extend gratitude to your peers, and I don’t think there’s a single person that will not have a smile on their face when they hear it. As a graduating senior, I have to thank the professionals who have gotten me here. My professors, advisors, and special shout-out to Student Affairs continue to sacrifice so much for the general student body. In a logistical sense, Stevens would not exist without them. In an honest sense, these professionals make Stevens students what they are and we should thank them for that.
None of these people absolutely need the “thank you,” but why wouldn’t I give it? Unfortunately we live in a world that needs some grandiose reason to be thankful. It’s okay to have different levels of gratefulness, but someone smiling at you deserves the equal opportunity of being thanked as someone saving your life. An act, no matter how big, or small can be validated and all you need are those two short words of “thank you.”
Now you might be thinking, “Katie, it’s October. Why are you thanking people already?” Great question, some people need to be reminded to do so. Coming from a person who is hardly thanked herself, cautiously thanks others, and conveniently has a column in The Stute, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to do so. But in all seriousness, we are in the middle of the semester and campus morale is a little low. A small gesture of saying thanks can really brighten a mood. If someone brightens one mood they can brighten a whole room of moods. A whole room of moods eventually dissipates to a campus of bright and shining people. It’s simple gestures that can really make a difference this point of the semester. Not to be a campus mom, but always remember your “thank yous.”
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