We say thank you multiple times a day, or at least we're supposed to. We say thank you to the man who opens a door for us, the barista who makes our coffee, the postal worker who delivers our package, our co-workers who answer our questions and help us with our projects. We thank people for gifts, for kind words, for thinking of us, for helping us. We thank our friends and our families.

But is the thank you I say to strangers the same thank you I say to my friends or family? It's not the same to me, but its the same two words, the same definition. How can you use the same expression to show appreciation for someone passing the salt and for someone who shows up when you need them most?

I just worry that the common use of thanks somehow diminishes the meaning, that if I thank you for buying me coffee it won't mean as much when I thank you for the more important things, for the things that I actually need from you.