As we finish the year, the greatest gift I can offer is my gratitude. So, here we go from the beginning:
Thanks to Dina and Saul, Bessie and Mose—my great grandparents, who packed their meager belongings, boarded boats in Eastern European and Russian harbors to brave the seas and a trip into the unknown. They came to America so I could live in the land of opportunity and suburban plenty.
Thank you, Mom, for insisting I pack my own trunk for camp and land my own jobs, walk myself to school, and settle my own scores. You raised me to be an autonomous and self-reliant woman. Thanks, Dad, for all the hours on the sidelines of the community pool, bribing me with the promise of a bikini if I learned to swim. If not for you, I’d still be afraid of deep water. I am grateful to my kid brother, Billy, for spending our youth wrestling on the floor. You helped ready me for the rough and tumble world of business.
I owe a big debt to Mrs. Harder, my kindergarten teacher. I remember the smile that spread across your square jaw when I first sounded out the words: See Spot Run. Thanks to you, I traveled in my mind’s eye to the Hundred Acre Wood where I met Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga and little Roo. Thanks to that little boy, his teddy bear and their imaginary world, I grew up with a sense of wonder and a healthy respect for not letting a honey jar get stuck on my nose. I’m so fortunate to have all the friends I discovered in books.
Many thanks to the politicians and mentors who stoked my passion for government service. Cheers to the bosses who showed me how to be a bad-ass businesswoman. Thanks to the activists for marching and speaking out in ways that inspired me to join the women’s movement and the gay civil rights battle. You strengthened my spine with purpose.
I’m grateful for friends who feel like family. We are the midwives of one another’s deepest desires and boldest ambitions. Thank you to my colleagues who were daring, focused, compassionate and spirited throughout the year. You spoke truth to power and listened with care. You raised my game.
I give special thanks to the readers of my first book, “Breaking Through.” Your feedback has fueled my thinking on leadership. I’ve loved our dialogue this year.
Finally, the deepest gratitude to my wife and daughter who remind me I am not the boss at home. Not only do I love you, I learn from you.
So, if you have a spare moment over the holidays, why not start with an expression of gratefulness? Why not spend some time considering how you got here, because of whom, and why it matters. Write a tribute or thank you note. Because they are grounding and clarifying; positive and connecting. Because undoubtedly any gift you have is not yours alone. Because when days become short, and the world can feel dark, I can think of no better way to nurture the light.
Sally Susman is chief corporate affairs officer at Pfizer and author of “Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World.”