When you were young, I am sure most of you were taught the golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated.

I do not know about all of you, but I would like to be treated nicely.

If you have not been practicing kindness and respect in your everyday routine, now is not too late to start.

The very basic exchanges of “hello,” “good morning,” “please” and “thank you” should be commonplace, but think about it: When did you last voice your appreciation?

This semester, the Huskie Bus line has seen some cutbacks in some of the routes’ operating hours, causing confusion and discontent among the student body.

However, what has not changed are the men and women driving the bus every day, making sure that we arrive wherever we need to go around campus.

I, personally, would get bored very quickly of driving the bus routes, so I applaud those who do it.

So thank your bus drivers. While you are at it, thank anyone else around school that performs a service for you. Yes, it is his or her job and yes, they are being paid for what they do, but that is not really the point.

One should especially remember to thank the dining hall workers, the ones giving you food and coffee at the various eateries in the Holmes Student Center, employees at the VCB and the University Bookstore, the man or woman scanning your books at the library and your lab assistants. After all, these are your fellow students and a kind word from you does make a difference.

You never know what kind of a dull or even painful shift someone at work might be having, but what would make it even worse are a customer’s bad manners. That said, a little courtesy from a stranger can be strangely reassuring. By showing some gratitude, you may turn someone’s whole day around.

In addition, others will notice your actions and follow suit. For whatever reason, maybe it never occurs to passengers to say something to the bus driver.

If one person says “thank you,” those around will probably think, “I should remember to do that from now on.” At least, that’s how it works in my perfect world….

Anyway, as we all know, Valentine’s Day is Thursday. As such, you can make Feb. 14 whatever you want it to be.

You can blissfully give and take presents from those closest to you.

You can be bitter over the fact that you have no Valentine or that you did not receive any cards or candy. You can be angry and think that it is just a stupid holiday made up for purely materialistic ends.

Another option: You can forget the romance and resentment and use the day to do something that really matters.

If you do choose to vary your routine and show a university employee that you appreciate him or her, do not stop after just one day; make it a habit. Let people know you care 365 days of the year.