“Another day older and deeper in debt.”

If you don’t know that song, it’s okay, it just means you’re too young to have heard it or the commercial that picked it up a few years back.

It implies that you can put in a tremendous day’s work and all you get for it is a paycheck that won’t cover the bills and an aching back or arms or legs from the hard work.

I don’t doubt a lot of people feel that way right now, with inflation hitting and storms and weather changes making food supplies more challenging.

So I hope you will let this be some small thank you for all you do.

We forget sometimes how much work goes into our everyday lives. Every single thing we do relies on work by someone else to be complete. Everything. We are none of us operating in a vaccuum.

The post office and postal carriers, the cleaners, the front desk clerks, the restaurant staff front and back of house, the gas station attendants, the mechanical experts (car, computer, you name it), the shop clerks, the telephone operators, the repair  folks, the people who operate non-profits, the dog walkers, the shelter staff, the veterinarians, doctors, nurses, EMTs, firefighters, police officers, secretaries and administrative assistants, business offices, CPAs, brokers, bankers, grocery store stockers, cashiers and staff…the list goes on and on and on.

My thanks to every last one of you. Because I know that I’ve relied on at least 30 of you from start to finish in my day, and I admit, daily, I never give it a thought.

None of us do. And it’s not out of any mean spiritedness, it’s simply because we are so focused on getting through our day that we are oblivious to how much we rely on others to make sure that day goes as smoothly as possible.

Monday is Labor Day, the perfect time to make sure we acknowledge everyone who puts in hard work at whatever job they have.

And if you are currently not working, I thank you for the times you have.

Once upon a time, loyalty and longevity in a job was a big deal. People got gold watches on retirement from a job where they spent 30, 40, even 50 years. Sticking with one company, letting the owners know they could always count on you to be there and to get the job done was a huge point in your favor years ago.

My dad once told me that I should be careful about changing jobs too often, because employers would see me as someone not worth investing in. They would rather put money into someone who would stay.

But over time, that’s just not who we are anymore.

Families also used to be clustered close together, which helped in so many ways, not the least of which was shared child care and often housing expenses. Instead of three separate trips to the grocer, when one in the family was going, three more would pile in and get it done in one trip. If one person needed a cup of sugar, another needed two tablespoons and the third needed just enough for coffee each morning, they’d split the cost of a five pound bag instead of each buying their own.

There were ways to conserve funds when salaries were not always big enough for exotic or long vacations, when the groceries bought were frugal and never, ever allowed to go to waste.

These days, we are more singular in our homes and our lives, which is part of the reason we forget sometimes to appreciate others, and to say thank you.

As you go out for your family barbecue Monday, or to the beach for a long weekend, or to the park for a day out, or just chilling in front of the tv with your nearest and dearest, take just a minute to think about all those you cross paths with every day. Give just a moment’s thought to how, since we are spread farther apart as biological families, all the workers we rely on and interact with daily have become a sort of odd family instead.

The next time you are running an errand during your day, or need a tire patched while on the road, or stop to pick up sugar or coffee for in the morning, make sure you actually meet the eyes of the person who is helping you. Make sure you acknowledge their efforts, their hard work. Let them know you appreciate them.

It doesn’t cost you a dang thing except maybe a few extra seconds, and the gift you are giving is beyond compare.

And if you are lucky and enough people read this and play along, you’ll be the one on the receiving end of the smile and the thanks.

Now tell me that doesn’t feel good? Far better than “another day older and deeper in debt,” I’ll wager.

A happy Labor Day, y’all. Thanks for all you do.

Elisabeth Strillacci is editor of the Salisbury Post.