A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. I popped in my earbuds to listen to a podcast, hoping that I’d be dozing off again soon. I’d selected an episode of “The Drive” hosted by Peter Attia, a physician who’s written a bestseller called “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity.” His guests tend to be experts in health, science and related topics.

I always come away with healthy lifestyle tips from these podcasts – but this particular episode’s focus was on relationships, and specifically how we treat those who have special meaning in our lives. The guest, a retired 85-year-old CEO named Walter Green, was a successful entrepreneur who at a pivotal point in his life came to the realization that there were many people who helped shape his life, yet he’d never let them know.

Concluding that “there is no benefit in waiting – this is the moment,” he resolved that it was time to make things right, and set off on a yearlong journey – visiting 44 people who significantly impacted his life. He then wrote a book called “This is the Moment,” which illustrates the importance of expressing our feelings for others.

So began the “Say it Now” movement,” which includes a website (justsayitnow.org) and a TED talk. As I listened to his interview with Dr. Attia, I didn’t achieve my original goal of falling back to sleep – instead I got a wakeup call. It was one of those “aha” moments that just happened to hit around 3am.

I received the message loud and clear and it’s one I think we all can all benefit from. To quote Walter, “We are not self-made. We are blessed to have people in our lives who make a difference. And we want to pay tribute to them while they’re here, to say thank you.”

There’s no downside to telling our friends, relatives, mentors, teachers, co-workers, etc. that they matter, that they’ve influenced us in positive ways that have made us and our lives infinitely better. And as the saying goes, “there’s no time like the present.”

I believe this also applies to people we encounter as we go about our everyday lives. We may not know them well at all – in fact they may be complete strangers, but their actions and words go above and beyond to make our lives better, safer and more productive. We can pay it forward by letting them know.

It doesn’t require an elaborate speech. It can be as simple as a few kind words along with a smile. It can be a handwritten card, an email or even a text. Most importantly though, it comes from the heart.

It’s telling the pilot and flight crew “thanks for getting us here safely” after a particularly turbulent flight during bad weather.

It’s expressing to often stressed and overworked pharmacy staff, that we understand they are busy and can wait a bit longer while they navigate insurance and do their best to fill our prescriptions.

It’s a kind word to the waitperson at a restaurant – the one who patiently takes our special orders while also covering the tables of a co-worker who didn’t show up for work that day.

It’s showing patience and appreciation to healthcare providers. Their jobs involve caring for many patients, dealing with distraught family members and making lifesaving decisions, often while working exhausting shifts.

It’s a handwritten note thanking a neighbor for coming to your aid during a particularly difficult time.

It’s writing an email to an elected official to let them know that their efforts standing up for causes or securing funding for the community have not gone unnoticed. The list goes on and on.

I recently had the opportunity to put this concept into practice. While waiting in a longish line at a pharmacy, I noticed that the Pharmacist seemed to be running in ten different directions, she was clearly stressed and struggling. Customers were frustrated and complaining because there were delays in getting their prescriptions filled. She and a few other staff were scrambling to keep up.

I got to the front of the line and told them I was there for my shingles vaccine. I was handed a clipboard with papers to fill out, asked to take a seat and told that I’d be called when ready. About ten minutes later, the pharmacist led me to the vaccination cubicle.

After she went over my paperwork and explained the possible side effects of the vaccine, I told her that I noticed her job seemed to be pretty demanding that day and that I wanted to her to know that I appreciate how hard she was working. She glanced up, and with a weary look in her eye and a syringe full of Shingrix in her hand, thanked me, explaining, “over half of my staff is out with Covid, I feel like I have been living here at work.”

She seemed to relax and we chatted a bit more before she administered my shot. She then returned to the still bustling pharmacy. Later that evening, as my arm began to throb, I thought back to our interaction hoping that my words gave her some encouragement – because reassuring someone that they do matter can make all the difference in them staying the course.

It’s really not that hard to tell a friend, a family member – or even a stranger, that something they’ve done has helped you navigate life’s challenges. Sometimes in big, transformative ways. Many people go through life never knowing how much they’ve helped others. They are denied the joy that goes along with making a difference. So why not say it now? They won’t hear it at the memorial service.