Here's to You
Heartfelt gratitude for all my dear readers
In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.
~ Elizabeth Gilbert
Happy Almost-Thanksgiving, Friends!
Truth be told, Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always taken a Wednesday Addams-like attitude toward the lies I was taught in elementary school.
But I *do* love turkey and gratitude.
Gratitude is part of my daily life. I typically start the day by giving thanks (for being alive, the sunrise, the warm home I woke up in, etc).
When I find myself in a grumpy mood, I make a gratitude list. Snaps me out of a funk right quick and works every time.
I was going to use this post to create a mega gratitude list and share it publicly (let me know if you’d be into reading that!)
However, what I really wanted to do was express how grateful I am for you.
If you’re reading this, I mean you.
There’s no shortage of things to read, watch, and listen to, especially on the internet, and I’m humbled that you choose to spend 3, 5, or sometimes even 10 minutes of your precious time with me here.
I’ve been a professional writer for almost 10 years. To this day, the greatest compliment I can receive is someone telling me they read an entire article from start to finish and found it entertaining/informative/otherwise valuable.
It means the world to me.
Substack lets me know who opens these emails, but I have no way of knowing who actually reads them. So, I’m just going to say thank you and trust that if you got this far into the message, you’re one of my beloved readers.
Thank you.
Extra special thanks to the beautiful souls who supported my work this past year with paid subscriptions and buying coffees. These people I do know for sure. Shout out to:
Hayley Schmidtke, my first and greatest supporter
Livvy Ramos
Mary Rosas
Evan Schmidtke
Alice Steinheimer (my mom is probably my second-biggest fan)
Peg Blair-Maxwell
Jessica Frick
Sarah Nelson
Shandra Ann
Y’all seriously made my year.
Publishing can be scary, especially when it comes straight from the heart. Your support lets me know it’s worth it.
I hope everyone who celebrates has a great holiday.
I love you!
Lauren