I recently made a large transition in my life and moved from my hometown of Springfield, Missouri to Kansas City. This move took months of preparation, and I never really knew the exact date of when I was going to move—which stressed me out a lot. Eventually, I established the date I was going to move, March 10, 2018. I swallowed a large amount of saliva and mumbled plenty of colorful words as it sunk in. I was going to move to a new city, without a job, with only a handful of friends, in a brand-new city where I have never lived.

I said goodbye to my friends and family and even made a server eulogy to my coworkers. While I was sad to leave everyone in my hometown, I knew I was making the right decision.

Once I unpacked, the very next day I made a point to get all the major things out of the way. I opened a checking account with Bank of America, and I quickly became friends with the middle-aged man who asked me, “Are you this nice to everyone?” I told him I was from the Midwest, so I had to be.

After, I ran a few errands, I then started applying for jobs. Ten minutes after getting interviewed for the first job I applied for, I answered the phone and they told me I received a job. I was thrilled and my stress hormones took a backseat for the first time in months. Though, I honestly couldn’t have made the move without my amazing network of support.

I’ve had many friends, family members, coworkers, connections, and strangers I never knew I had—whether it’s the encouragement of others, arranging job interviews, scheduling nights to explore the city, career advice, or even helping me getting settled into a new city. I have the world to thank.

As the great poet, Maya Angelou says:

One of the things that I do, when I step up on the stage, when I stand up to translate, when I go to teach my classes, when I go to direct a movie, I bring everyone who has ever been kind to me with me. Black, white, Asian, Spanish-speaking, Native American, gay, straight, everybody. I say, “Come with me on the stage. Come with me. I need you now,” some long dead; you see? So, I don’t ever feel as though I have no help.

And so, I invite all those in my incredible support system, which includes you, here, right now, reading this blog. I invite your amazing kindness, humor, wisdom, love, and encouragement as I attempt to reach my full potential.

Maya provides a bittersweet farewell with such grace, I know I could never do it justice. She explains that:

Love liberates, it doesn’t bind. Love says, “I love you.” I love you if you are in China, I love you if you’re across town, I love you if you’re in Harlem—I love you! I would like to be near you. I’d like to have your arms around me, I’d like to hear your voice in my ear, but that’s not possible now; go.

And with that I leave you with a thank you, full of humility and gratitude.