Join My Campaign?

     When my hairdresser moved away, life as I knew it ended. She didn’t simply style my hair every six weeks, she reshaped my self esteem. She’d served as my confessor and cheerleader. And now that she was gone, I wondered whether I had ever really thanked her.     
     For that matter, have I expressed gratitude to all the other service providers who keep me glued together? Like my mechanic: I don’t know the difference between an oil pan and a bedpan, yet he never disses me. Or the food server who cheerfully fills my request for “water, no ice, with lemon.” Or the Kohl’s cashier who makes sure I get every coupon redeemed.
     Appreciation is powerful. One time I told a house painter that he brought beauty to people’s lives. His head spun. “I never thought about it that way.” Another time, I told someone who was struggling in her job, “Don’t ever forget how important you are.” She broke down into tears.     
     Two-thirds of the American labor force are not following their dreams, but simply struggling to survive, says Jeff Haanen, CEO and founder of the Denver Institute for Faith & Work. They’re often proud of what they do, yet humiliated “that society doesn’t esteem their work,” he says.      
​     So this Thanksgiving, I’m on a quiet campaign to give thanks to the pit crew that keeps my life running. I’m wondering what it will do for them when I tell them what a difference they make.