Thoughtful Blossom was inspired by my friend and Leadership Oklahoma classmate Michelle Britten. Michelle is another one of my friends who at first glance I have very little in common with. But one of the first things that I realized about Michelle is how respectful, kind, and thoughtful she is. We have always liked each other and had great mutual respect for each for each other but it was on a couple of occasions where she reached out for some creative advice that I realized how truly thoughtful she is. Michelle wasn’t always the loudest or frequent voice in our LOK sessions, but I learned quickly that when she has something to say we should all listen. She has a deep sense of honor and respect that she learned growing up in a small town in the Texas panhandle and when we talked about her creative projects it was clear that she honored and respected the people that she was trying to do something creative for. She really didn’t need much help because her ideas were so wonderfully thoughtful, and I probably got more from our conversations about her projects than she did. Sometimes you just need someone to bounce an idea off and reinforce your thoughts. I absolutely loved those creative collaborative conversations with my wonderfully thoughtful friend and hope that we have other opportunities to collaborate on something creative again.