Respect

Several people have given me words of praise and encouragement lately, and I can't believe what an impact it has had on me.  It's interesting to think that I have had a positive affect on someone else just by being, much less more than one person.  It's also interesting how far a few positive words go.

I wrote a thank you to my academic advisor, who I respect immensely, and told her that it has been an honor to know her.  And it has.  She is brilliant, well-read, well-spoken, and writes beautifully.  She has been incredibly patient with the reading and editing, re-reading and re-editing, re-re-reading, etc. that was required to get my thesis ready to submit.  I was quite impressed with her dedication, attention to detail, and her genuine interest in seeing her students produce a quality product.

She responded by saying she felt the same about me!  Me?  Really?

Then I realized that my idea of success is to be respected by someone I admire.  Does that mean I've made it?  ;-)