What a perfectly wonderful post, Michelle Birge! I’m following you now and hope you reach 1,000 followers soon! I’m so glad you found that terrific boyfriend who encourages you to be your best. It’s the same with my husband. He’s so encouraging, and I love writing for Medium because of the supportive writer friends I’ve made here. My “at home” family and friends look at me like I’ve got two heads when I say I’m a writer, so I don’t even mention it to them anymore. Keep on keeping on and may your New Year be filled with writing success stories!