My first job out of high school I worked for a now-defunct drug store chain. I made $1.80 an hour. -I managed the beer & wine department, deciding how much product to buy and how to set the displays for each week's sales. -When nearly everyone else quit over the holidays, I worked from 9AM till midnight, 7 days a week for 5 weeks. That's 105 hours/week. My overtime rate was $2.70/hour. -We sold mulch and fertilizer. One afternoon a flatbed of it rolled in, fresh out of a rain storm. I was the only one working. I'd hate to guess how much I unloaded, one 50# bag at a time. It was well over a ton (40 bags)...maybe a few tons. So I'd guess at $1.80/hour, I was not being transactional, huh? And I agree about being in sales. I would have loved to be a manufacturer's rep, but to actually sell stuff directly to people as though my product was everyone's solution would make me feel dirty.
No one left to worry about appreciating anything I do. The cats are completely their own clan and live on a different plane than myself. Long as I fill that water bowl everyday and pour that food into three bowls and one large plate for the bathroom clan, I am appreciated. I laugh some mornings when I wake up at 7 because first thing I do is open my window shade and several of the cats are outside all peeved I didn't get up earlier to feed.
Yeah, @Thomas Stillhere, cats aren't known for being appreciative as much as I love them. Rather than thank you's, it's more like... "It's about damn time." "What? I had that last week!" "Nope. I don't care if you paid more than $2 a can. I ain't gonna eat it."
I can't recall wanting to be appreciated while working but I do recall hoping to be recognized. That was more important to me. That was my motivator.