Thank you

I drafted the following post in early December last year, but wasn't allowed to go public with the news quite yet. A dear friend and co-worker who was one of the people mentioned in this post, and who was so excited for me, passed away just a few days ago. I have been thinking about her and this time just a few months ago. Rest in peace, Carolyn. You will be missed dearly.

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I found out a couple of Fridays ago that I was accepted into a fellowship program at Stanford. I was absolutely floored to find out so early, and so incredibly thrilled. I worked hard on the application, and the interview was even harder. Going through the program is going to open up so many doors for my career and I'm going to take away skills I know I will use throughout my career and life. I was also humbled because I had a chance to meet the other applicants during the interviews, and they were all such sharp, talented, hard-working people. Being chosen out of that group is really an honor.

My friends were over at our place for dinner when I got off the call. They all congratulated me with hearty hugs and cheers and smiles. We opened up a bottle of wine. I texted a friend who immediately called me back and shared my excitement, too. My friends expressed pure happiness for me that I'm not sure I've experienced before. My parents and family were thrilled too, and are so proud that I overheard them talking about it to their friends before I even left for the interview.

I had also told my colleagues about the opportunity and subsequent interview. Coming into work on Monday, I quietly mentioned the good news in passing, thinking that they'd simply appreciate knowing what's coming up for me next in my career. Unexpectedly, the news was received with big smiles, big warm hugs, shreiks, "goose bumps," immediate congratulatory e-mails from the grapevine, and excitement that was just overwhelming and so warming.

I have to pinch myself when I realize that I'm surrounded by people who care so much, that my good news is their good news; my happiness makes them happy; my excitement makes them excited, too. It's a form of pure love, really. I'm not sure what I've done to deserve the good fortune of being around such great people and warm company - but there it is. I'm just so touched and grateful. That's all I can really say.

Thank you all, so much. The changes Nilit and I are making this coming year are big for us, and all your love and support means more than you realize.