I believe in karma.  I believe that you get what you deserve, and that you should always treat people the way you want to be treated.

So, when I went through this period where I felt unappreciated and uncared for, I wondered if I was telling people how much I appreciated them enough.  I probably wasn’t.  I’m not good with words and especially not good at telling people how I feel, even if it be appreciation and gratitude.

So, here is my ode to you, my people. 

To my family:  I know you didn’t get to pick me.  You are all brutally honest with me, telling me things I don’t want to hear.  You are hard on me, and have very much to do with my sharp tongue and twisted sense of humor.  Your constant teasing and giving me a hard time have indeed trained me for real world, where it’s not always warm and cozy.  I am still sensitive and somewhat thin skinned, but at least now I won’t be eaten up alive.  Thank you for keeping me grounded and laughing at myself.

To my friends, new and old, close and far:  I don’t make friends easily, and have but a handful.  However you are all some of the most important people to me.  Many of you no longer live close by, and I miss you guys terribly.  But we are going to make this work, and it just gives us so much more to catch up on when we do get to see each other.  Thank you for patiently listening to me ramble on and on about inconsequential nonsense.  For supporting me and pushing me to be better and making me feel safe when taking chances.  I miss our lengthy chats and listening to whatever was on your mind.  So many times I wish I knew the right thing to say, but rest assured, I am listening.  You guys are my rock, thank you for being my friend.

To my mentors:  You were instrumental in making my career what it is today.  You have provided me support in an environment only we understand.  You ask the tough questions and have provide much needed support in keeping my head above the water.   You call my BS, and push me to think about questions I hope could be answered magically by themselves in due time.  Your understanding and unwavering support has proven me more capable than I thought.  Thank you for believing in me.

To my colleagues:  In my 10+ years of working, part time and full time, I’ve worked in 5 different places.  Through that, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a huge variety of different people from all walks of life.  You made work fun.  You gave me reasons to look forward to coming into the office every day.  I always enjoyed listening to you talk about work, family and whatever was on your mind.  You guys help me out.  You review my memos, review my projects, answer my questions, even the dumb ones.  You say good morning to me, lunch with me and help keep me from having to eat all the cookies I make by myself.  I can only hope to do the same for you.  Thank you for making work fun.

My role models:  In the world of engineering, where women are far and few inbetween, you would think a role model would not be easy to find.  I have my role models in people I’ve come to work with and just simply admire.  They set the bar high for me.  One day I want to be like them, in a way.  I watch them succeed and I am excited for them and hope to one day see the same for myself.  Thank you for giving me stars to aim for.

The 6AM class at Crossfit Westchester:  I know I am not the most sociable person at 6am.  I am super shy and tend to keep to myself, even during daylight hours.  But you were always so supportive, never making me feel bad about using baby weights or finishing a WOD dead last by minutes.  You guys have set the bar high, and I’ve spent the past two years trying to catch up.  But in the process, I’ve surpassed any and all expectations in my abilities.  Who knew I could do a toes to bar or back squat my own body weight?  Thank you for cheering me on (and putting my stuff away when I’m slow or forget!).

My blog readers:  I started this blog a couple of years ago, with no idea if anyone would read this.  But you do!  Same goes for readers of my other breakfast blog.  And I am always so happy whenever anyone likes a post or even comments!  You can’t imagine how happy I get when someone follows the blog.  It’s always so wonderful to know that someone I don’t know is reading and hopefully enjoying what I have to share.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read all these crazy random posts.

The chance encounters:  The guy at the pool who suggested I give triathlons a try.  The strangers who gave me a gentle push through kind words of encouragement on the race course during my darkest moments.  Anyone who has stopped to make sure I was okay when I was on the side of a road.  The woman who helped me make change when I forgot that the bus does not take bills.  The woman at the check in counter who upgrades me for a 16 hour flight.  The person who found my mitten and put it somewhere I could find when I went looking for it.  The hostess who did her best to find me a seat at a bar when I decided to have dinner at a busy restaurant by myself on a Friday night.  I have many more, but to all, thank you for being so kind to a stranger.

While a  lot of my people fit into multiple categories, all in all, you are important to me.

Without them, I would still probably be the mousy mute huddled in her cubicle all day wondering if this was as good as it gets.

It isn’t, and with my people, it never will be.