I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by very supportive people my whole life, so it's not that I have not been lacking in compliments over the past 26 years. But there are a few that were truly memorable and humbling.
1. About 6 months ago (or was it more like a year?), my coworker Carla, frustrated with the state of some page proofs she was reviewing, said she wished that I had been the one to edit them at the previous stage. I told her that it may not have helped. After all, I am not perfect. And she said, "No Katie, I know you are not perfect, but I do think you are the best that there is." I still tear up a little when I think about that. It meant a lot coming from someone as good as she is.
2. When I was a senior in high school, I decided to join the competing winter drumline. It was a tough challenge, because I was starting from scratch on percussion, and joining a group that usually place in the top three in the national competition. We ended up having a great season. After we played our final show, even though it would be a few hours before we found out the official results, we knew we had done well. We were all congratulating each other as we put away the equipment. I turned to the section leader, known to the group as Trick, gave him a hug, and said congratulations. He pulled away, grasped my upper arms, and said, "You too. You are a percussionist." It was so unlike him to say anything so personal that it really took me aback. I was so flattered that he noticed how hard I worked to get up to the level of the rest of the group that I have never forgotten it.
3. When I was in college, I had a close friend who was a piano performance major. I used to love to watch him play because he just became totally different person while he played. He became passionate. We talked often about how jealous I was of that. It was not that I wished I could play the piano. It was more that I felt like I had no passion in anything. Early in our senior year, he asked me to give a testimony at a retreat that he codirected. I was supposed to be talking about my time in Sweden, a difficult subject for me. The day I was scheduled to talk, I told him I was going without notes because it was the only way I was going to be honest with myself. He said, "I think you do have passion. Your passion is being honest, with yourself and everybody else. That's what you put your heart into." He doesn't know this, but that really changed the way I see myself, in a good way. I think about that comment to this day.
4. As I mentioned above, my time in Sweden was a difficult period for me. During my first month, I received many many thoughtful and encouraging emails from family and friends. One such email came from my Uncle Jack. In it, he told me a story about when he went into the army, and how difficult it was for him to be away from home. He talked about how the experience drove him to walk away from a lot of the things he once believed in, but he came out on the other side believing in a few of those things even more. After the story, he told me he had every faith I would come through this, too. He said, "I may not be your favorite uncle, but I am a big fan." It meant a lot to me.
5. In the winter of my senior year of high school, I spent a Saturday at Western Michigan University at a scholarship competition. The competition consisted of two on-demand essays and a group problem solving exercise. By this time in my school career, I had become used to being at the top of the pack. However, I walked out of that competition feeling like the dumbest person that ever lived. The essay topics were difficult and complex, and I felt like I had not contributed anything to the group problem solving. On the way home, I told my mother that I had very little hope of winning the scholarship. She said, "I don't know, Katie. I think you're darn good." Even with my doubts, she was sure, and she turned out to be right. I got the scholarship. Even without knowing the competition, my mother believed that I would win. That's a compliment if I ever received one.
To Carla, Trick, Aaron, Jack, and Mom -- thanks. Your words meant so much to me, and they've helped me continue to strive to be a person that deserves them.
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