Do you say “thank you” a lot?

I hope you do. I always say thank you to the policemen, firemen and the EMTs when I see them in restaurants or in the grocery.

They certainly deserve a big thank you. Of course, a thank you goes to the nurses and doctors when they keep us well and maybe save our lives. But most times, there are those whom we need to say thank you to, but it never crosses our minds.

When you turn on the faucet and get a good drink of water, maybe a silent thank you to the Indiana American Water Co. would be in order. When I was in Korea, the one thing I really wanted was a good drink of water. We had water, but by the time they made it safe to drink, you really didn’t want to drink it. We just used it to make coffee. At least it was hot.

Most of the hamlets in Korea had an open trench down the middle of the road. Yes, it was their sewer system. The best you could hope for was a good rain. Can you imagine not having a sewer system? Thank you, thank you to the municipal sanitation department. And while you’re at it, give a big thank you to the memory of Thomas Crapper for inventing the flush commode.

Watching TV … suddenly blank screen, lights go out … power outage. It’s annoying, to say the least. Hopefully, it will come back on soon, but after several days when the food spoils and there is no heat or air conditioning, we would get on our knees to beg for electricity. A big thank you to Duke Energy and the ones who climb the poles in the rain and sleet to get the power back on.

Those who have gas heat for hot water or heating their home, think about a cold shower in the morning or seeing your breath at the breakfast table. Vectren Energy deserves your thank you.

What if they announced, “Everyone find your own place to dump your trash.” After a few weeks of piled-up garbage along the streets and the stench of it all, I’m sure you would thank the public works and cheer the sight of the trash trucks.

Yes, it’s just there when we flip a switch, turn the tap or watch the trash truck go by. We sometimes complain about the cost, but if you ever spent time in a country where these things were not available, you would thank your lucky stars and stripes and say thank you often.

Don Hill

Seymour