People we don't appreciate enough.

So yesterday I had more people comment on my blog post than ever before I think, and I think it's in part due to the fact that I've become active on facebook and the delightful plurk sites, so people there read it. And I realized that the comments people left did help me feel better. It helped me to validate the fact that I felt rotten even after all these years. And then I decided that people who leave comments on blogs are far too underappreciated. So I want to say thank you to all of you who took the time to share with me. It really helped.

Of course, that led to a train of thought about others who aren't appreciated enough in general. Like your friendly neighborhood garbage man. In the old house, I was forever forgetting to get my trash out on time, so I developed a great phone relationship with Brenda in the office at Green Valley Disposal, the people who picked up our trash. They were wonderful there, and I actually will miss having htem, because they were great about taking whatever I put out to be hauled away, no complaints. They were also understanding of my scatterbrainedness (due to being a SAHM of 4 kids etc.) and would go out of their way to help me out. I doubt I'll have that kind of relationship with the people we have now, simply because it's part of the park contract to pick up our trash (I have nothing to do with it personally, aside from making sure my 4 small or 2 large bags are out at the curb Sunday night for Monday pickup). Oh well. I'm still grateful that someone is willing to haul away the things I must dispose of.

Then I went to pick up the mail from the old house (because my scatterbrained self didn't send out the change of address forms until yesterday). I stopped at my neighbors' house to get the mail they took out of the box for us. And I realized that too often we take good neighbors for granted. The kind who will send their kids over to bring you coffee when you run out, and keep an eye out for random pets that escape and bring them home to you. Also the kind who know it's okay to call you to have you check on their teenage kids when they're out and said kids aren't paying attention to the phone. :) I'll really miss having those kinds of neighbors. It took a while to get to that point there... not sure if I'll get to be like that with my new neighbors.

I also decided that non-custodial parents who take their visitation time seriously are something to be grateful for, as I dropped my elderbeasts off to their dad for the weekend (and heard said ex tell our daughter that she needs to listen to me more often). I definitely appreciated the fact that he turned his life around and is working to become a Productive Member of Society now, even if he had to move in with MY parents to get to that point (heh... that's a story all its own). But I know too many people who are quick to criticize their ex's without taking the time to appreciate the fact that they are at least trying to do better.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to whoever decided that there needed to be cable channels that showed toddler-level shows 24 hours a day. Sprout and Noggin are a godsend to me, especially as my little ones get back to some sort of normal human schedule.

I'm sure there was someone else I intended to add to my list, if I remember, I shall make note of it. But for now, Huzzah! to all of those I've mentioned. I really do appreciate you.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments section. I'd like to know who else you think is underappreciated.