In the back

I ate out today at a prosaic, run-of-the-mill Chinese buffet. Nothing exciting, nothing to blow your socks off.

Ironically, I was reading a book written by a chef. Seemed a strange dichotomy.

It did, however, make me think about all the people behind the scenes who make our lives easier, those unseen folks who do all the things we don't want to, who work unthanked, unappreciated.

Think of all the people in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, chopping vegetables, making the same sauce day after day, browning pound after pound of onions. Thank you to them!

And on our trip we stayed in a couple hotels. I didn't give a thought to the maids who would change my sheets, vacuum those floors, bring in fresh towels, replace the shampoo and soap that I stashed in my suitcase. Thank you!

All those gas station attendants, convenience store workers, road construction crews, tire changers, fast food slaves, and National Park rangers who every day get out of bed in order to serve behind the scenes - anonymous, living from one paycheck to the next.

Tonight I say thank you, and I'll do so the next time I run into any of them.

Thank you!