I’ve been humbled by the amount of love and appreciation my coworkers have shown me during the past several difficult weeks. I received flowers, words of comfort, offers to help, and letters. On my birthday this past Wednesday no one remembered my birthday and I thought I was in the clear. Apparently they forgot and felt terrible for having missed my birthday. So this morning when I was heading to my office I noticed the door was closed. This was strange…why would someone close my door? I try stepping in and I hit something blocking the door. I finally open it and a festive stringy curtain falls on the doorway and I walk through it into my office that had been decorated with balloons and other decorations. They had a cake and cupcakes ready and had be blow fan out the candles (because COVID).

This has all got me thinking on how much more appreciative I should be of people and how I need to make a better effort of reaching out to people in their time of need, of recognizing their efforts, and just celebrate them in general.

I collected all of my balloons and started heading out of the office. It must have been a funny sight seeing me and my balloons cram into the elevator and then trying to fit them into my trunk.

Now sitting here at home late into the night as I listen to the adagietto movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 on KUSC, I wonder…

Do I really deserve all of this?

Whatever the answer, I’ll strive to spread the same gift of joy that has been shared with me.