To the barista at Paris Baguette in Ditmars who made me a medium lavender latte when I ordered a small and smiled at me on a day I was feeling ugly, thank you.
To the man walking behind me who complimented my outfit without being weird, thank you.
To the nurse who helped perform my echocardiogram and noticed my icy hands and warmed them in her own warm ones, thank you.
To the primary care doctor in Astoria who touched the fresh shingles scars on my back with her bare hands and asked me if I was stressed and sat with me as I cried, thank you.
To the pretty young woman on the subway who moved over to make room for me on the full car during morning rush hour on the Manhattan-bound L train and waved me in as I hesitated outside the doors, thank you.
To the little girl at the playground who smiled at me and looked at me like I was a goddess, thank you.
To the usher at Walter Kerr Theatre who enthusiastically complimented me and my outfit several times as she showed us to our seats, thank you.
To the couple sitting at the table next to us who gave me their rose on Valentine’s day because they couldn’t take it with them to their Broadway show, thank you.
To the homeless man in lower Manhattan who complimented my mom’s and mine outfits with a big genuine smile and asked for nothing in return, thank you.
To the cop on the non-emergency line who personally called me back and hour later to make sure I had been rescued from my apartment after the door wouldn’t open from the inside, thank you.
To the little girls who got off the schoolbus and yelled at me “your baby is cute!” referring to my nephew in the stroller, thank you.
To the woman in the backseat of an Uber in Brooklyn who rolled down her window to ask me if I was getting married when I was walking to my sister’s mehndi ceremony and complimented me on my lehenga, thank you.