I know that there’s so much going on in the world right now – lots of very heavy things. But that doesn’t mean that my life has stopped, and I’ve had some good news lately. It feels strange in some ways, to be celebrating my own wins when there’s so much bad all around. But I think it’s important to celebrate the wins whenever they come, big or small, and in whatever form.

It’s made me think a lot about the people that I surround myself with. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to view my friendships in a different light. I used to take a little bit more of a black and white view of friendships – I was willing to work really hard at friendships and put in the effort, and I didn’t understand when other people feel or act the same way. If I didn’t feel that people weren’t putting in effort like I was, I’d pull back – I felt like if someone didn’t put in effort like I did, it meant they didn’t really want to be friends, and my efforts were basically being “wasted.”

But I think of friendship really differently now. I’m more understanding of the ebbs and flows of effort and communication; more mindful of the fact that people have things going on in their own personal lives that I’m not necessarily aware of. I’ve readjusted the priorities of what really matters to me. Now, what matters to me is knowing that I’m there for someone, and that they’re there for me, both in good and bad times. What matters is showing up!

These past few weeks have shown me that I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by people who do show up. People who support me, and people who are my biggest cheerleaders. And this is true both in terms of people who I’ve known for years and years, and people who I’ve never actually met in person at all! Though I never would have believed it even ten years ago, I’ve been able to connect with some of the most supportive people online – people who cheer on my successes just as much as my friends who I’ve known for years.

And these same people are there to support me when things aren’t so good, too. I just think it’s so important to find those people who lift you up – people who, no matter what is going on in their own lives, are there for you. People who pick you up during the bad times, and cheer you on during the good ones. And I’m so grateful to have found those people in my own life.