Gratitude Day 53 - Life

My aunt just died last night, totally unexpected as I only found out she was not doing well on Thursday (we're Saturday now.. well Sunday).  I am so grateful for every breath that I take right now.  As I'm talking to her twin, my godmother, all she keeps saying she's alone.  They were the only two left and were inseparable. I got to think about how lucky I am to have my sisters.. ALIVE!  How it would be if they were gone and I have no siblings left.. only nieces and nephews who have their own lives.  It's not the same bond!

I am grateful for being alive; my family being alive and well.. well, as well as can be!

Gratitude Day 52 - Cloves and Garlic Skin

Where my Haitians at? You know what I'm talking about right?  This is the best tea to have when you're having indigestion.  It works! Makes the gas flow!  I am so grateful for it right now.  That's whey when I cook, I always save the garlic skin.  Now I need to infuse in oil for water for my hair to see how it does.

Gratitude Day 51 - Humour

Yes I write with a "U", I'm in Canada!

You have to have a sense of humour or you'll go around be mad at everyone and everything.  Can't do that! Kill them with humour! Kill yourself with humour! Wait.. you don't want to kill yourself but at least hurt your belly muscles with it.  Look at it at as a workout! That's what it is to me anyway since I can't do normal situps.

Humour cures any bad mood, it might even get you on the road out of a depression.  Just don't put it off.  Use it, embrace it!  Get jiggy with it!

Gratitude Day 50 - Amazing support system

I am abundantly blessed to have such an amazing support system.  They are each individually and literally lighting a fire under my butt to make sure I fulfill my dreams and concur my fear.  They kept me in check on a daily basis making sure I'm on top of things. Honestly, who can ask for more? Being surrounded by people who believe in you is a blessing! I am so grateful they are there to keep me motivated and ensure we are not losing the momentum.

I love each and everyone of you!

Gratitude Day 49 - A positive mind

It's not a given! You have to work on it, maintain it and nourish it.  Life has a way of making you fall hard sometimes, if you stay down and have the time to process the pain, you'll have  hard time getting up.  You fall down, get up NOW! Get your balance and start moving on!  Stay positive and stay focus!

I have grateful I have been able to stay positive despite the hardships.  Boy are they always there but I don't let them guide my life.

Gratitude Day 48 - Laughter

My day was filled with laughter, surprise and joy. But most of all, I laughed a lot today!  I got to rekindle with some old friends and pick on them like old times.  I got to pick on some more friends and laugh WITH them.  I got to laugh at myself because I had an amazing surprise today: someone I look up to in the natural hair community who has never talked to me before complimented me on my hair!  I squealed like a little girl going to Justin Bieber's concert.

But overall, I laughed til my belly hurt.. literally! I needed that! I hope that I get to savour 15 mins of good ole belly laugh each day because my soul is on cloud 9 today!

Gratitude Day 47 - New Friends

I am humbly touched by many people I have met recently who have been extremely nice to me and believe in what I do.  They see beyond what I've been doing and I am so grateful for the encouragement.  You have definitely given me wings.  Believe me, all the words, all the actions, all the  interest shown in what I've made is so welcomed. I am really touched.  Thank you!

Gratitude Day 46 - Sanity

Okay, that's debatable if I'm sane or not.  I'd like to believe that I am because I stay away from crazy people.. like you! LOL

But really, I'm so grateful for being sane! I take things with a grain of salt.  I don't let them get to me to the point of pulling my hair out or doing something that I  might regret.  I am just thankful that I still possess the ability to absorb shortcomings and deal with them.  I prefer to act crazy just because I deserve that few minutes of being crazy!

Gratitude Day 45 - Mother Nature

I'm mostly grateful for Mother Nature's Alzheimer's in the last 2 days.  Last Wednesday, I was freezing at -14C wind chill factor.  Tonight I had to wear my spring coat because I look ridiculous in my winter coat.  I hear it's going to warmer over the weekend.

Some call it Indian Summer, yeah I do agree! But we had a lot of that in the last few weeks already! There are no Indian Summer on repeat!  That's why I call it Mother Nature's Alzheimer's Disease.  I will take the few days of warmth because we tackle the next 6 months of winter.  Thank you Mother Nature!

Gratitude Day 44 - Asics

Having to deal with the cold weather yesterday, I had to reluctantly put away my Asics sneakers.  Boy do I miss them! The soles of my feet are so sensitive! I swear it's made of nothing but bones and the insole I have in my boots is not enough.  My feet are so sore!

I think those sneakers helped greatly in my pinched nerve issue.  I notice that I'm not able to stand for long since wearing them.  Hmmm not good! Tomorrow, cold or not, I'm wearing my Asics!

Gratitude Day 43 - Laptop

My laptop (which I've never named) has been in my life for the past year.  It came in the nick of time.  I've saved some money to buy myself a laptop and I did. Three weeks later, I was approached by some folks at work asking me if I answered a survey.  I said no and quickly remembered I did and said yes.  That's when they congratulated me, I won a laptop.

After going back forth: "NO!!!" "YES!" I finally accepted the laptop.  I couldn't believe it! Here I was, without anything at all. Now the owner of 2 laptops.  I decided immediately that I would give the one I purchased to my sister because I've been wanting to offer her one for years and kept this.

It has been my companion for the last year and I couldn't imagine not having it going through the things I've gone through.  I am so grateful that someone pulled out my name and I got this beauty! So grateful!

Gratitude Day 42 - Forgive

Forgiveness is something new to me.  I always hold a grudge but not the time that eats you up inside because you're constantly thinking about it.. no! The type that you eradicate that person from your list and when their name come up you're like who?

In the past few years, I'm learning to forgive.  It has been liberating! I can't get to the point where I can forgive every single person who is on my short "douchebag royalty" list but the list is not getting longer.  I find the faster you let it go, the faster God does his work; the faster you can move  on with your life. I'm truly working on shortening that list.. I truly am!

Gratitude Day 41 - Tactfulness

I often say I am not tactful but I am.  I guess it has to do with how much I've piled up before I blow up.  I have no control of what comes out nor will I apologize.  But most of time, I got time to process my reaction and I must admit that I'm amazed at how I handle things.  I got tact baby!

I'm just grateful that I can take it all in and react in a more peaceful but often much more poignant manner. I  hope that I will be able to do that all the time.

Gratitude Day 40 - Warn Weather

When summer do come, we tend to complain how hot and humid it is.  Yet, we often forget that we barely get 2 months out of the year of warm, humid weather.  As I am at the dawn of winter, I can not wait for summer to come back!

I'm a Caribbean girl!  I like nice easy breezy non humid day! Sitting under an almond tree and enjoying the breeze.  Now I'm here, November 13th, first day of many to come where I have to wear that heavy winter coat.  I have til April or something like that! Sigh!

Longing for summer NOW!!!

Gratitude Day 39 - Blanket

I've always said that's the best gift I've gotten! I received it as a gift because the editing room at my place is so cold.  I just couldn't stay at the PC too long to edit.  That blanket looks like a kid comforter but the cool about it is that it has a zipper right in the middle with pockets! When you open the zipper, you can stick your head in and it becomes a poncho like blanket! You are so warm and comfy in a minute!  I absolutely love it! When I get home, I slip into it to warm me up.  I can't help it but love this blanket.  Especially with the cold weather creeping up on me!

Gratitude Day 38 - Left side of my body

My right side is plagued with pain.  I'm grateful for both mind you but I am so grateful for the left side for not bothering me at all.  Mind you, I'm grateful for the right side for teaching me to appreciate the right side. If it wasn't for the pain, I wouldn't know how a well behaved left side of the body I have!

Though I'm right handed, I compensate all tasks on my left side.  I can mainly lie on my left side. I carry my purse on my left.  I bear weight on my left leg when standing up.  I just realize I might wear it out if I keep going like this.  I guess that's what this gratitude journey is about: to appreciate and be aware.  I love you left side! Gotta take better care of you too!

Gratitude Day 37 - Knowledge

Not sure if I did that before but if I did.. tough! Some knowledge are passed on from generation to generation, some you learn from books and others just from experience.  However you learn it, it's always great to pass it on. I don't like to sit on things!

Interestingly enough, my thirst for knowledge now is not a thirst to sit in a classroom.  I crave for informations at my own pace, my own time and my ability to process what I want to learn.  I love it!  In my quest to know about one thing, I'm finding out about many other interesting, life altering information.  I'm just grateful that all these informations are readily available to me.  I'm more grateful that through the same vehicle, I'm passing it on!  Keep on Mica! Keep on!

Gratitude Day 36 - Friday

Raise your hand!!!

If you work every other weekend, raise your hand half way.  If you work every weekend, I'm grateful for your paycheck hoping they pay extra for giving up all your weekends like that!

Seriously, who isn't grateful for Friday? You get home (people my age or people with my energy level that is) relieved that you don't have to rush to do everything so you don't go to bed late.  Better yet, when you get home you do NOTHING!  Either you fall asleep from boredom or you don't care if you stay up late!  Tomorrow it's Saturday!

Friday should be a holiday that is celebrated on the next business day! All in favor, please raise your hand!

Gratitude Day 35 - Dollarama

You know when you dream big, except things to look a certain way but don't want to write a check with your mouth that your butt can't cash kinda moment?  Well that's where I'm at now! I don't want to go beyond what I can afford.  In a trip to the dollar store, I found just what I need to get started until I can live up to the dream.

So today, grateful for the finds at Dollarama! I might go back to get those 3 jars!

Gratitude Day 34 - Endurance

I'm still battling my indigestion issue but today I realize something: I have endurance! I've managed to work the full day with lots of pain (at times they were as if I was having a gall stone attack) and discomfort.  Not only that, I managed to do under 8 mins a walk last year that took me 20 mins from work to the train station. Pain, discomfort, pinched nerve.. I got to get home and rest! 

I'm grateful for the endurance to.. endure the pain, but also for having the endurance to walk so fast! I wish I could make it last but too bad I had to go home because I am exhausted!

Gratitude Day 33 - Indigestion

It's painful reminder that I ate too much, I have no gall bladder, I shouldn't eat fatty food!  I'm grateful that it's bloating me up because I don't want that to happen again!

I ate it all because I couldn't split it for 2 meals.  Instead of getting rid of the food, I ate it all.. sigh!

Gratitude Day 32 - Self Confidence

I don't think there is such a thing as being overly self-confident.  I believe that some people don't know where the boundaries are between cockiness and being confident.  Unfortunately, it's often crossed by me.

But in my case, I know what I got and I know when to use it.  If it wasn't for self-confidence today I would have been toasted! Burnt toast! God allowed me to showcase just the right amount to validate my point of view.  No matter what happens, I'm extremely happy and proud of myself.

 I'm already 4 days behind because I was so busy this weekend.  I will try to catch up tomorrow.