There is a certain level of spirit crushing inevitability that comes with a thankless job. Knowing full well that no matter how hard you work, no matter how much of your self you put into a task or how extraordinarily you do it that no one will care at all. This level of absurdity would normally cause a person to question the validity of what they are doing. Yet, it is often these thankless tasks that are absolutely necessary for the fabric of our society, for civilization itself, to continue.

It would be simple if these tasks were heroic. We could make movies or music videos about them to thank those that did them. Or write books or write songs about these people. But the task are normally quite mundane and boring. And each and every one of you, at one time or another, has completed one of them.

Maybe you grumble in your head or under your breath about the lack of gratitude for what you have done. Perhaps you decide to never do this thankless task again. Let some other sucker do it. After all, no one seems to care that you did it. Right? If you followed through on that the only one who would ever realize it is you. For everyone else it would just be a thankless task waiting for them to complete it.

But if you did this task, over and over again, did it ever cause you to think about other thankless tasks? Perhaps even wonder if there was a way to thank someone, even in a small way, for doing a thankless task? Or were you too wrapped up in your own misery to consider the plight of someone else? Sadly, most of us are limited by our perspective to our own wants, needs and complaints.

The tasks that are done, everyday and night, by countless faceless people go unappreciated and unrewarded. Until today. As one who has spent countless hours toiling away on thankless tasks (both the paid and unpaid variety) I would like to stop the cycle. Therefore, I would like to take a moment out of my life to stop and say thank you to all of you out there working at thankless tasks.

Thank you - teacher that buys school supplies with their own money. Thank you - grocery store clerk that uses their own change to help a patron who is short purchase their item. Thank you - parent that takes the time to listen to their kid and then stop and spend time with them. Thank you - passerby that buys the homeless guy a sandwich for no reason other than he is hungry. Thank you - for picking up that litter that someone else left on the ground. Thank you - for never failing to pick up the phone even if the person calling is annoying. Thank you - for giving a smile and a nod as you pass a stranger in the street. Thank you - for letting that person merge onto the highway in front of you. Thank you - for giving someone a tissue that needs it. Thank you - for helping with directions for someone who is lost. Thank you - for carrying those groceries to the car. Thank you - for making sure that everything goes into the package that needs to and nothing that doesn’t. Thank you - for knowing your job well enough to make informed suggestions to your customers. Thank you - for being patient when it would be far easier to lose your temper.

Thank you - for letting someone else take the last one. Thank you - for not causing harm when it would have been so easy. Thank you - for knowing the difference between being right and being just. Thank you - for telling it like it is even if it wasn’t easy. Thank you - for making the right choice. Thank you - for helping them get home when they were too drunk to drive. Thank you - for giving someone a mint without embarrassing them about their breath. Thank you - for knowing how to make someone smile. Thank you - for keeping people safe. Thank you - for knowing the words to that song. Thank you - for keeping it in your pants. Thank you - for knowing that laughter is the best medicine. Thank you - for knowing the heimlich maneuver. Thank you - for pulling that person back from in front of that car. Thank you - for holding yourself to a higher standard.

And for any of you out there that I missed? Thank you - for being understanding. Caring. Kind. Loving. Patient. Gentle. Graceful. Grateful. Joyful. Peaceful. And for doing all that you do even though no one has ever thanked you for doing it. You rock!