In every person’s life, there are troubles. Everyone has ups and downs, and it’s nearly impossible to get through it all on your own. Leaning on someone to get through a rough patch is human nature; we live to connect with and help one another. I’ve certainly had my share of bumps in the road, and I could not be more thankful for the people in my life who were repeatedly and consistently there for me.

These people could be teachers, coaches, friends’ parents, or a multitude of other people who happen to come into your life and help fill holes you didn’t know were there. It didn’t matter to them whether you were dealing with family issues, friend issues, or just stressing out about things that in the long run didn’t really matter. They always knew what to say in order to calm you down, or allowed you to talk as long as you needed to without saying a single word, if that would make you feel better.

Throughout high school especially, there were a handful of people who truly allowed me to blossom simply by being there for me when I was going through my own personal struggles. Whether it was sitting in a chair and talking for an entire free period, going in during a lunch period to talk, or staying after school, the teachers who were there to help me gave up a lot of their own time and energy to help me. I surely would not be the sane and rational person that I am today, nor would I have had such a comfortable and happy high school experience without them. Just knowing that I had people to lean on whenever I needed it was a huge contributor to how much I enjoyed my four years of high school, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Even though, in my case, I connected on this level with a few teachers, anyone could fill this void for an individual. I guarantee that we all have had someone in our lives who has done this for us, even if we did not consciously realize and appreciate exactly what was being done. I know that there were times that I took it for granted, but looking back, I know how lucky I was to have more than one of these people to rely on.

Often we forget to say thank you to these people. We forget that they didn’t have to do what they did, and that helping us was the definition of going the extra mile. When other people weren’t there, or when we weren’t comfortable enough to talk to our closest friends or family about something, they gave us a shoulder to cry on. I hope that one day, I can be that person to someone else and that I can be the person who helps someone through their own difficulties.

I know these people don’t do this in order to be thanked or to be recognized, they do it in order to make others feel better. When I am that person to someone else, I know that I won’t be doing it in order to hear the words “thank you,” but to help another person the way that I have been helped in the past. Nonetheless, we need to thank the people who have been there for us. We need to show them our gratitude not only by thanking them ,but by paying it forward and doing that for someone else.

So, if I haven’t said it yet, here it is. Thank you.