A Time for Reflection and for Being Thankful
As the holidays approach, I always like to reflect back and be thankful for everything I have and everything I have accomplished. This year has been a tough one personally, because there was a death in our family. As I think about the loss, I am also thankful for the time I shared with the departed. How important it is to be “in the moment” and appreciate the good in everyone and everything that is around me. It is also important to value and appreciate the small things, even if it is just making someone smile because you just said “good morning” with a smile.
This brings me back to the people who have influenced me to be the person that I am today. I always thank my parents and in particular my mother for being the backbone of our small family and my father for telling me that as long as I worked hard enough I could do anything; my paternal grandparents and grandmother, in particular, who as a strong independent successful woman served as my role model; my 6th grade archeology teacher for introducing me to the science of history and making it fun and interesting; to Ms. M my advanced chemistry teacher in high school for inspiring me to do better; to my first boss at a pharmaceutical company for encouraging me to go to graduate school and telling me I should get a Ph.D.; to my thesis advisor for teaching me a multitude of lessons on communication and managing expectations; a huge thanks to my post-doc advisor for believing in me and providing a rich and wonderful environment to grow as a scientist and as a person; to my boss at DuPont Merck for teaching me how to be an effective manager and how important it is to disseminate information to all levels of an organization; to my sisters, cousins, and friends for always being there when I needed them; I am thankful for my decision to move to California and join Amgen, which gave me an incredible and invaluable experience that I would never have gotten anywhere else; and to the love of my life and soul mate for making me a better person each and every day.
Do not take anything for granted and appreciate those around you. Value those that bring positives into your life and ignore those that do not. Smile and be happy for what you have. And most importantly, be thankful for your health.