10 People/Things And a Thank You Note to Each

I would like to start by thanking @VictorGo for these challenges that remind us there is a lot to be grateful for even though the world is on fire and everything is going down.

1. My Wife

Thanks for everything, my love, @akc Without you, the world would be a dull, boring, crisis machine. With you, it is full of joy, happiness, and peace.

2. My Stepfather

My parents are divorced, and I am an only child. I was 27 when my father was diagnosed with terminal melanoma. My mother refused to help in the beginning, and I spent six months living in a car in front of the ER, taking care of my father. This man helped me from afar during this time, but as soon as he understood how dire the situation was, he showed full support, taking care of my father and bringing my mother to the hospital every day to help me take care of him as well.

A couple of days before he passed away, my father told me that he probably wouldn't survive the next heart-attack, that I was a great son, and he was proud of me, and he was not worried about me because the stepfather, who did everything he could for my father, would definitely be a better father to me than himself.

He was right. I never felt my stepfather saw me differently than his biological children, and I suspect he always treated me even better than he treated them. I am incredibly grateful.

3. My Mother

Even though there are a lot of ups and downs with you, you try your best, and your best will do. Thanks ma!

4. My Late Father

I didn't understand you until I became a man myself, and I always thought that you hindered me. I later found out that you prepared me for the world, teaching me a ton of skills people usually don't get until they are C-level managers. You just weren't well versed in showing emotions. Thanks for your trust and teachings, papa.

5. My Late Grandfather

Few understood you, and fewer appreciated you. You filled worlds in your brain, then chose to live in a small town. You could have been a big fish in a big pond, but you chose to be misunderstood in a small pond and build a family. You could have been a star in Fast and Furious, but you didn't even drive. But you always showed love, support, and affection. You always knew when to be there, when we needed you. Thank you.

6. Ben&Judy

There are families you are born into, and there are families you choose. Sometimes the family chooses you. Ben and Judy chose me as their son in a foreign land for all of us. They took care of me both mentally and physically, and I am forever grateful to them. I love them as much as I love my birth parents.

7. My Boss

After a decade of working in business and marketing, I decided to try something else. I went to art school and started working at Istanbul Municipality, which is as big as a mid-sized European country's government as a graphic designer. My boss saw that I could not relate to the jobs I was tasked with, and instead of telling me to leave, he looked at my CV and saw something I hadn't seen before. He told me to start writing in English for the municipality and see if I liked it or not. I did. I love writing. Yesterday, I was updating my CV and for the first time I saw what he saw. I have been writing for companies since the beginning of my career, and most of that writing has been done in English as well. No wonder I feel at home writing in English. Thanks boss for seeing what I haven't seen about myself and opening the doors wide open to a career I enjoy.

8. Our Cats

I spend a lot of time at home alone. I wouldn't be able to stay sane and happy without the help of our purr machines. There is always something to observe, if not enjoy, about them. They play, they show affection, they show love, and they keep you warm. These furry babies are my constant companions, and I am grateful for them.

9. Tim Berners-Lee

I am who I am today thanks to Tim Berners-Lee, who founded the world wide web, and instead of making a profit from it, he gave it to all of us openly. I grew up in a poor family, with divorced parents. Sometimes my mother didn't eat dinner because she couldn't afford to feed both me and herself, and she ate lunch at work. I learned most of what I know thanks to the Internet, which this brilliant man made freely available. I will always be grateful for that.

10. My old boss and mentor, Orhan

When I was just out of school as a fresh graduate and started working in the insurance sector, this man got me under his wing, taught me everything he knew about the sector, made me part of important and exclusive projects the company was doing, and pushed me to sharpen all of my skills. He always made me feel valuable and always supported me in all my endeavors. Much love. He met me when I was a skittish boy who knew a lot but did almost nothing, and turned me into a man who is sure of himself and who managed a lot of crises, people, projects, and situations. Working with him was the real education I got.