taking the time to appreciate the stars

there is a man at work who is the nicest person you will ever meet. he will do anything you need him to do because he just wants to make sure you get what you need done in a timely manner. he will stay late at work and postpone his own responsibilities to make sure you are not overwhelmed. he will share his cookies or sweets or the potatoes on his plate. never asking for anything, he gives everything. he's my boss, and during my short year at my job, i've always felt supported. i think that has been important in motivating me to do my best with the duties given to me, but also important in expressing my ideas to improve the lab. in that way, he reminds me of my parents and my brother. always in the background but always present in helping others grow as better people.

the end is upon us for my friends and me as new yorkers. even though emily is staying in our apartment, i'm moving out on monday, and lisa's future is undetermined. at least there is some return to normalcy as neehan moves into my room. meera will be in philadelphia; savita in newark; anjali in boston. deb will be working in the upper east side, and our potlucks will be no more (as we know them anyway). gary will stay in his apartment without meer or anj, but with karen instead. with grad school at hand, we will no longer be dictated by the free schedules of our friends and of our jobs, but by the schedule of classes and figuring out how to navigate our new homes and communities. i hope i meet people to fill their shoes. my future friends and classmates could NEVER replace my current friends, my soulmates, in any way, but i need that person to be supportive in all cases or that person to ground me when my head is in the clouds or that person who is willing to try whatever crazy idea we come up with. things will be different, but i know that the friends i have now are the ones i will have forever. like stars, just because i can't always see them doesn't mean they're not always there.