Plainly stated it is the forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of another. People often make sacrifices for their friends and family. Here at UB, two groups of people are making sacrifices daily, many do not know or see what they do for the rest of us. Though you might not see it right away, if you look deep into their eyes, our faculty and staff are tired, overworked, and severely underpaid. Do they give up on us? No. They come in to work everyday. They give us their best and often, we give them our worst. They are making sacrifices for us daily when very easily they could decide not to come to work tomorrow. Many could find higher paying jobs at other Universities. Instead, they continue to work for UB. They continue to strive to make us learn, to register us for classes, wire our dorms, and protect us. What do we give them in return? “Thank you”? “Have a nice day”? No. Often we take our anger of “the system” out on them. There is a saying, “Don’t kill the messenger because you don’t like the message.” It must have been written for UB. Often it is easier to just point a finger and blame “them” for all the problems here at UB. It is not their fault. They are just doing what they are told. The bureaucracy is in charge here.
You can see it in their eyes when they teach or coach us. They love us. They consider us a second family. Just stop and say thank you. Thank you to the man in Marina who fills the juice machine; thank you to the guard at the front door of your dorm; thank you to the librarian who pushes the button in the elevator; the professor who goes out of his way to make photo copies of the text for us.
Two simple words – “Thank You” — those words can have a tremendous impact on someone’s day. Use them often.