Who do you value?

I am busy! There is no other way to describe it. When someone asks how things are, my response is always, "Busy!" I go at full speed from the moment my feet touch the floor until my head hits the pillow. I often joke with my friends that I can do more in just 5 minutes than most can do in 5 hours. I'm known for fitting 30 hours of life into 24 hour days. My refusal to allow anything to be just mediocre means I will never have "enough" time. I often find myself looking into the life of my girlfriends wondering how they have it all, do it all, and look fabulous. I long for perfection! I am as Type A as they come. I can't walk past something without straightening it. I get excited when things are color coded. The container store is like therapy. Seriously! 

As I try to juggle it all, I'm sometimes left feeling unappreciated and unnoticed. Sure, I knew when I signed up that this whole being a mom gig could be a thankless job at times, but surely MY daughter would be thrilled when she saw I had arranged her dolls. Or my students would notice I had stayed late organizing their journals in nice neat rows so they would be easy to locate. It's not about the praise, but rather the acknowledgment of my efforts. Despite all this, today I was validated by a respected colleague. Her words were simple, however powerful. "You are valued." With those 3 words, my years worth of work was validated. I shouldn't need the affirmation to give value to my work, but let's be real. . . I do! We all do. I've yet to meet a person who didn't like to hear a "good job" every once in a while. 

I know each of us have people in our life we could not survive without. My mom is my go to person. She can help me with anything at anytime. My dad is my Mr Fix It and my wise counsel. My best friend is my gossip buddy, my crafty expert, and my confidant. I would be incapable of being me without them.  They are the ones who talk me off the ledge when one of my crazy paranoid ideas has left me a nervous wreck. They humor my silly antics. When my worry wart mom side kicks in, they help reassure me. They embrace my passion.  They support my need for  justice. I value the time and effort they so graciously give to me, expecting nothing in return. I don't praise them enough and it would be impossible to thank them enough. I value them just for being present in my crazy chaotic world! 

Who do you value? Who is it that makes it possible for you to do life everyday? Do they know?  "You are valued" went a long way with me and I know it will do wonders for others too!