I wrote this article in a fever-induced, three-days-in-bed state of utter wonder.

Because in the midst of an illness from who-knows-where that boldly refuses to leave my system, I was reminded of something that I take for granted too often. People. Just people. People who are here, people who care, people who are willing to go out of their way to make sure you know they will go even further than that.

I have never been very good at taking care of or keeping track of myself. I am constantly scatterbrained, constantly bad at communication. I love spending time with other people but rarely have the time to put any outings together. I get more nervous than I ever should around human beings and have a hard time voicing what is on my mind. I am just a mess. Plain and simple. But for some strange reason, the people in my life that I love don't seem to see any of that. Or rather, it's not that they can't see it. They do see it, and mind-blowingly, they love me through it. They see those faults of mine. They know I'm hardly ever put together enough to remember to inhale and exhale. They see how bad I am at texting and roast me accordingly. They see how bad I am at baseline relationship guidelines, and they are here for me anyways.

No, more than that. Far more than that. The friends around me aren't just here for me in a passive sense. They love me aggressively. They actively seek me out - if I am well, they send me their full schedule so that I can fit myself in wherever I have a free moment. They text me simply because they miss seeing me and help me get myself together so that I can see them. They remind me that I need to talk with them because communication matters so much, and they tell me in a loving way so that I know it is not out of anger but simply out of an actual desire to talk with me. Which is crazy! Because how can I have people in my life so wonderful as to care so much? Especially when they never expect or sometimes even accept a thank you?

I will never understand how I became so lucky as to have people like this. I will never understand how when I mention off-handedly that I am rather sick, I receive text messages, offers of food, trips for medicine, people just wishing me better, some of whom are even sicker themselves. I cannot understand any of it. But I can be indescribably grateful for it.

The title of this article is a reminder to myself. It is a note to continuously thank the people who choose to be in my life, who make an effort to be there for me. My beautiful roomie Janice, who will always be one of the people I am referring to when I write these things, reminded me of this the other day. Thinking aloud, she simply told me that it is important to remember the people who go out of their way to care. It is not and will never be everyone, so the people who do are precious, priceless. So I wanted to write this to remember to thank the people who have been there.

Without question, without hesitation, without worrying about what the cost might be. So many people in my life have been there for me in ways they might not even realize, have served me and counted it as just another daily activity, nothing for which to thank them. I cannot forget to keep thanking them, to keep treasuring them, to make this friendship in any way worth their while (because goodness knows I'm the lucky one).

Thank you to all the people who ever gave me even a moment of care. Thank you to everyone who helped me when I was sick, who helped me when I was well, every single one of my personal hype-people, every friend I've ever had. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you so much.

I'll forever be the lucky one, I hope you all very much know.