Dear Mom and Dad, Best Friend, Random Stranger, and Eventual Life-Partner,
Thank you.
The simplicity of those two words fail to demonstrate the immensity of my gratitude for your selfless ways.
For each of you, doing the little things – seeing your loved one’s smile, making a stranger’s day, sacrificing your precious time for the sake of others – is a top priority. You are soul-satisfiers, do-gooders, life-changers, and the spark-plugs that drive the rest of us forward. You work to bring out the best in any person you cross paths with, and from what I can tell, you’ve long surpassed your goal.
I realize no amount of words will ever be a just representation of my appreciation for you – the selfless souls – but I dedicate these few sentiments to all that you do.
Mom and Dad: I cannot recall a single instance where you put yourselves before me.
Thank you for driving me everywhere imaginable until I turned 17, for sitting in the freezing rain, or scorching heat, to watch me play a sport, for spending money on me you likely shouldn’t have, and for sacrificing your personal endeavors in order to be present in my life and watch me grow up.
Best Friend: I don’t know how you do it sometimes, but you are always there for me.
Thank you for waking up and answering every 1 a.m. or 7 a.m. phone call, for putting your work aside to accompany me on dinner dates because I didn’t want to eat alone, for dropping whatever you were doing because I needed someone to talk to, and for making me a better person before you even thought of bettering yourself.
Random Stranger: I’m fortunate to be able to share this life with you, and I can only hope your happiness will continue to overlap mine.
Thank you for holding the door, for approaching me on my worst days and reminding me to smile, for buying overly sugary lemonade and iced tea from my summer stand as a kid, and for now offering to buy me coffee.
Eventual Life-Partner: I appreciate all of the little things you will do for me one day.
Thank you for seeing that chick flick I’ll be itching to watch, for spending less time with friends and focusing on building our life together, for compromising with me and not always needing to be right, and for placing my happiness above your own.
To each of you wonderful individuals, and for the millions of others just like you, I celebrate your existence. Because of you, I have recognized the value in having a “pay-it-forward” mindset. You have inspired me to be better, not just for myself but for humanity as a whole. My only hope is that you’ll find a way to care for yourselves at the same intensity you do for others. And if you can’t (or just won’t), I’m here for you, now and always.
With Deepest Admiration,
Someone Who Looks Up to You
