SOAP BOX: What do you say when 'thank you' doesn't cut it?

HOW many times a day do you say thank you? If you’re anything like me then it’s probably more than you can count.

HOW many times a day do you say thank you?

If you're anything like me then it's probably more than you can count.

Politeness is an automatic reflex, probably brought on by living in the UK where everyone is "sorry" for everything all the time.

Having good manners is great, but I think when it becomes reflexive it can be easy to forget how important it is to express the right level of gratitude for services rendered.

"Thanks" is fine when someone delivers a parcel or when a retailer conducts a transaction for you.

It's fine for when someone serves you food, or passes on some useful information you've asked for, but how do you thank the people whose job it is to care for you when you can't do it yourself?

When a collection of strangers scrape you off the road after a crash and put you back together "thank you" doesn't seem to cut it.

Many of the people who did this for me when I was injured in a motorbike crash at Palmwoods last month were just doing their job but a simple "thanks" doesn't seem anywhere near adequate.

In fact, I didn't even get the chance to say that to some of them.

The trouble is, I don't know how I could ever express what it means to have had strangers take my life in their hands and care for it better than I would myself.

But a whole bunch of people do just that every day and don't ask for anything in return.

Often they don't hear a word of thanks, and they don't seem to mind.

But I hope they know this: I am more grateful for the work you do than you could ever imagine.

Originally published as SOAP BOX: What do you say when 'thank you' doesn't cut it?