Here’s the thing about life in New York City: Sometimes it’s a little lonely. It’s exciting to live in a place with so many people, and so much to do, but it’s easy to feel lost in the crowd. People don’t always talk about it, but it’s there—and it’s hard to deal with without a great support network. So on Thanksgiving, the perfect time to reflect on the things in our lives we’re grateful for, I want to say thank you to all the people I’m lucky enough to have in my life.

In the years I’ve been at my job, I’ve gotten to know a lot of my coworkers really well. They’re a great group of people—kind, thoughtful, smart, and the right amount of snarky to keep things interesting. My life in the city would be decidedly less awesome without them. The same is true of all the friends I’ve met through my job—we’re a pretty tight-knit community within my industry, and I love that.
My friends in the city from college (and my friends in the city from college who I met after college, and my friends in the city who college people introduced me to, and my choir friends, and anyone in the city who doesn’t fit into one of these categories…) keep me sane, come along when I come up with random things to do (thanks to everyone who’s ever come contra dancing with me, you’re the best), and give me much-needed perspective.
My long-distance friends (from home, from college, from awesome summer programs in Minnesota) are also great for sanity and perspective, and for being there when I need to rant about something, or geek out about something, or overanalyze everything. They’re also always ready and willing to hang out when I show up at home a couple times a year, or when I schedule a trip to visit them, or when they come to New York City to visit and I make them eat Italian food and pizza all weekend. Thanks for dealing with the fact that I am sometimes inconsistent about calling or emailing, and to any of you reading this who don’t hear from me that often—I’m sorry, and let’s be in better touch.
My family is amazing, and I’m so lucky to have had such support from them, for every choice I’ve ever made and will make. Thank you for everything. I love you guys so much! And, thanks for getting a new puppy for me to play with when I come home to visit.
Thanks for being here, friends. And if you ever need anything, I’m here for you—and I’m always happy to share my support network, too. The asking is the hard part, so consider this an open invitation.
Happy Thanksgiving!