What do you respect?

I am listening to a clip from the morning radio show I listen to on the way to work. Since I do not catch the whole show, I like going online from time to time and listening to the highlight clips. In the one I am listening to right now, the cast answers the question, "What do you respect?" Thus far, they have talked about mothers, integrity, men who respect their wives, blind people, and doctors. Usually the clips are fun and light-hearted, but this one gave me pause. What or who do I respect? What or who do you respect? Is is a person, a group of people, a characteristic?

Here are a few of mine...

- My parents. All parents really. I do not know how they do it. The amount of patience needed to be a parent, the love and the heartache involved. Scares me thinking I may be one some day.

- Paper. I would not be able to have my relaxing, in-bed reading without paper. No post-its, no spiral notebooks, no letters on random days.

- Water. Drinking it, bathing in it, swimming in it, playing in it, water is grand.

- People to whom learning does not come easy. People who have to study and study just to make a passing grade.

- Artists, musicians, and writers. The creative folk. My brain does not work that way. Sometimes I wish it did.