Loving You, Supporting You, and Appreciating You
January 1, 2023
Writer: Brooke Edelman
Editor: Alena Miklosovic
With every interaction this summer, my mentor and role model at the summer camp I worked at would always close with this simple quote: “I’m loving you, supporting you, and appreciating you!” It became her trademark, by the end of the summer she had all of the campers and staff members echoing these lines.
The saying became more than our daily ritual. It was not just seven words, but it was a constant reminder that someone is on your side. With a desire to encourage and support everyone around her, my role model spread this message daily to our twelve year old campers, and eventually it reached the whole camp. Everyone knew there was an outpour of love, support, and appreciation coming from her.
It was routine to hear these lines. But, it wasn’t until I was no longer hearing them that I felt their power the most. When those words weren’t reaching my ears, I still knew that the people around me were rooting for me. My friends and colleagues acted as my fresh breath of air, and biggest cheerleaders, when I didn’t know I would need it most.
By summer’s end, we made sure to leave our twelve-year-old campers with one lesson— no matter where they are or what they are doing in life, they will always be loved, supported, and appreciated by those around them, especially us.
Adopting the mission to spread the Love, Support, and Appreciation around, I have found myself taking those extra seconds to let those around me know how much I value them. I’ve taken those extra minutes to stay on the phone with a friend to let her rant about the latest updates in her life, I have given an extra hug to a friend in need of one, and taken every chance to spill out how much I completely adore my friends and the irreplaceable relationships we have built.
For me, a smile my way can solve any stress in the heat of the moment. A check-in text is more than a simple “how are you?,” it sends the message that I have people in my life who truly care. A good hug is the warm blanket that I need on those cold, dark days. And at this point in my life, I have learned the lesson that life is too short to not spread that love around.
But that’s just me —I know that not everyone needs a hug to feel the affection, not everyone needs that text. Yet despite the different ways of expressing this, I can confidently say that everyone needs (and deserves) to feel the love around them in some way. People need to know that their friends, or even friendly strangers that share a smile, are there for them at any given moment. It’s our support systems that keep us going, when the going gets tough.
Life is busy. Our days blend together, consisting of longing for those memories of the past, creating memories in the moment, and dreaming about the promising times ahead. We can get lost and feel the weight of the world on our backs. But, I strongly believe that with love, support, and appreciation radiating within relationships, the dark days will have inevitable light, and the bright days can blind you with the shining presence of our loved ones.
I’m grateful that this little saying from a friend has turned into so much more. I know that wherever I am in life, the presence of a hug is there, even when a physical one is not. I know that I am supported and being rooted for from afar, by friends all over the world. I know that I have a team behind me, when it’s my turn up at bat. And I most certainly know that the world would be a lot more yellow if the love, support, and appreciation shines in everyone’s lives. Be the source of someone’s smile!
Image: Chloe Sinel
