Had one of those phone calls today that reminded me why certain people matter.
Caught up with a former colleague—someone who was there during a particular chapter, who knows what one means when we say, “it’s the others,” who understood the dynamics without needing a lengthy backstory. We laughed about old times, shook our heads at familiar patterns, and found ourselves nodding along to the same observations we would’ve made years ago.
What struck me most wasn’t the nostalgia. It was the validation. Sometimes someone from your past will reflect back to you that your instincts were sound, your values were solid, and your choices made sense. That the principles you held onto weren’t naive—they were right.
These conversations don’t happen often enough. But when they do, they’re grounding. They remind you that even when you’ve moved on to new chapters, the foundation you built yourself on was worth protecting.
Here’s to the people who knew you when, who still get it, and who remind you that you were—and are—on the right path.

Thank you N.