How do you express your gratitude?

I try to live my day to day life in a way that I can be appropriately grateful to the people I interact with.

If someone does something for me, I try to make sure I end the interaction with a smile and a “thank you” because I believe that it means more to the receiver than I will likely ever know. They might be having a bad day, or have been interacting with a lot of shitty people, so if my interaction with them is peaceful then it’s just one less weight added to their conscience.

Sometimes, though, I do show my gratitude in ways that go beyond the smiles and the words “thank you”. If I’m out and about shopping, and I see something that makes me think of them, I’ll consider buying it for them with no expectations of getting anything in return. It’s just a nice gesture of mine for them being a positive part of my life.

Simple as all that. A smile, a “thank you”, and moving along. That’s the bare minimum, and it really can go a long way.