It's Really a Giant Thank You Note

My journey to good health doesn't just include learning to eat right and finding the right workouts.  It is more than physical; it is emotional, too.   Every day I not only work to improve my physical self, but also my emotional self.  It is much easier to work on the emotional stuff if you have a great support system, which I do.  I start and finish every day by listing things I am grateful for.  Friends show up on that list daily.

I am blessed and lucky to have the people in my life that I do.  My friends are amazing.  I wouldn't be half of who I am without them.  Each of them brings something different to my world.  I love the diversity but also the common themes that run throughout my friendships. Silliness prevails; there is also extreme intelligence; a shared love of books and music (though we don't always agree on genre); running (if they don't, they respect that I do); and good beer.  My friends give great advice and know when to shut up.  Some of my friends have only been around a little while, some have been around for years, and some parted ways with me but then came back years later (YAY).  

For most of my life I have believed that people come into our lives for a reason.  They stay as long as we need them to and then they move on.  Perhaps we stay in their lives as long as they need us before we are the ones that move on.  I could spend hours analyzing why I think certain people have come into my life.  Instead of doing that I am going to appreciate what my friends give, appreciate the lessons we are learning from each other.  Most of all I am going to enjoy every minute I get to spend with these folks.  Be it a text message from hundreds of miles away, a phone call from down the street, face to face over dinner/lunch/brunch/cocktails, or side by side as we cross a finish line (yeah, that meant a lot to me).  Every laugh, every smile, every word of wisdom, every great conversation and the dumb ones, too.  I'm soaking it in and loving it. 

I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself with those that build you up, that make you smile, that let you know it's okay to be you. Learn from the people that share your life.  Allow them to learn from you, too.  Embrace them and be grateful every single day. Share the celebrations and the sorrows.  The people I have surrounded myself with don't make me want to be a better person--they make me want to be a better ME.   They are full of love, wisdom, and humor. . . all things I need to continue to be successful on my journey.  

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself."  ~Jim Morrison