I am thankful for all the people in my life.

The count is bigger than the inner circle. There's a whole outer ring that gets left off — the neighbor who takes in parcels, the person at the desk who knows your name, the colleague whose quiet competence makes your week work.

Weak ties do more than their reputation suggests. Most jobs come through them, most new ideas, and a surprising share of the daily sense that you belong to a place rather than merely live in it.

They also erode silently, because nobody schedules them.

Say something to one peripheral person today beyond the transaction. It's a cheap way of staying woven in.