Bittersweet Thanks

This year thus far has been a bittersweet one. I haven't even blogged as much as I originally planned to. The year isn't over yet and even though it seems to have flown by way too quickly, it feels so...heavy. Despite today and tomorrow being filled with happy things (sales mainly for me), this entire year thus far has been a tough one. We don't celebrate thanksgiving where I live but of course we're aware of it so I'm going to mimic the traditional thanksgiving and highlight what I'm thankful for. It's always a good thing to acknowledge and give thanks for the things that make the sometime-ish horror that is life, worth it.

1. The Family - as overbearing and suffocating as they are sometimes, I love them more than anything in this world. 

2. My Health - which is forever failing me and costing me a fortune, I am still thankful it's not been anything too serious (knock on wood) and I'm still very much functional (physically, mentally is a different story).

3. Being able to go to school.

4. Having clean water, electricity, food and a place to live. 

5. Living in a relatively safe country - Despite the fact that we are plagued by crime, rising taxes and unemployment, and our government ministers are choosing to focus on how much the last regime spent on roti, Trinidad is still a safe, beautiful place, that thankfully isn't war-torn or falling apart...just yet)

6. My friends - the very few I have, I appreciate more than anything.

xoxo, Shantilly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Where I'm from we don't celebrate thanksgiving, but I do love the idea of what it represents, in terms of acknowledging all the things we're grateful for. I always say grateful is everything and it's something I always keep in mind, to be thankful for all the things I've been blessed with, and lately with everything that's been happening I felt like taking the time to acknowledge all these things was fairly appropriate.

I won't even try to lie when I say I may come off as pretty ungrateful sometimes. I try hard not to be but I guess that has a lot to do with the materialistic side of me who tends to love all things I can't afford and it sends me spiraling into a state of anger and brattiness. Anyway, at the end of the day I think we all know it's not the material things that count so much as the little things we take for granted. I have so much to be thankful for and I am incredibly humbled when I take note of them. 

1. My parents, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that my sister and I never have to want for anything, for giving us an upbringing we are proud of, for pushing us constantly to succeed academically and in every other aspect of life so we can do the same for our own children when the time comes, and last but certainly not least, for loving us unconditionally.

2. My sister, who I STILL frequently fight with (despite us being 22 and 15 respectively), we may fight relentlessly and say things we don't mean almost every single day but I can't imagine my life without her. 

3. My education, which is something I am ever proud of, something that no one can ever take away from me. I'm all too aware that not everyone is given the opportunity to acquire an education. 

4. My friends, they may be few in number but infinite in character.

5. Last but not least, life. I am thankful for being alive today because there were many times when I thought I wouldn't make it to where I am now. I am thankful for being in good health and being able to live a life that a lot of people would give anything to have, one free of suffering and worries, and I mean REAL problems like wondering where I'll sleep at night, or where my next meal is coming from, or if I'll go to bed and wake up to my house being bombed, problems that so many people around the world are facing right now. I am thankful for the life I've been blessed with, and to those not so fortunate, I pray every single day that you get some relief, and whatever God you pray to, smiles down on you. 

xoxo, Shantilly.