“The purpose of life is to watch and experience living. To enjoy living every moment of it. And to live in environments, which are calm, quiet, slow, sophisticated, elegant. Just to be. Whether you are naked or you have a golden robe on you, that doesn’t make any difference. The ideal purpose of your life is that you are grateful – great and full – that you are alive, and you enjoy it.”
― Yogi Bhajan

  Yesterday was my 33rd birthday, and through all of life’s ups and downs here I stand. For years I would cry on my birthday, selfishly taking for granted my very existence. Truthfully there were years I was unhappy to be alive. I didn’t know how to live; I was merely existing. I kept expecting something or someone to come and heal me, but healing takes a lot of work, and it’s uncomfortable as hell.

  I was failing to live my truth, my essence. The true me. The one who loves sparkles, metallics, patterns and lip gloss. I had allowed circumstances to dim my light. Pain weighed so heavily on me that sometimes it hurt to breathe. It has taken years to be able to heal and to forgive others and myself. I’ve experienced a lot of discomfort in the growth process but realize that everything has its own timing, including joy, happiness, and sadness.

  Today I am happy to be alive, to be surrounded by amazing people and to have another day where I experience life. Here are 33 things that I’m thankful for:

1.My resilience
2. My stubbornness, it helps me to stick to my beliefs
3.My body with all of its flaws, weight loss, and gains. It is perfect exactly as it is
4.The ability to reinvent myself
5.My skin and how it protects me
6. All of the places I’ve lived, each one has taught me a valuable lesson about life and relationships
7. My inner strength, it’s carried through all of the difficulties in life
8. My Mother. Without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
9. The friendships I’ve made, each relationship is precious in their own way
10. All of my previous dating relationships, without them I would never understand what true love is.
11. All of the heartbreaks I’ve experienced and realizing that I am the only one who can mend my broken heart
12. My husband, he teaches me how to not take life so seriously, his unconditional love makes me a better person
13. The ability to get in touch with my inner child
14. I’m grateful for having been raised in NYC, I’m tougher because of it.
15. I’m thankful I moved away before I became too hardened, although a part of me still wishes to live there
16. My constant need to better myself, yet being content where I am
17. My imperfections, it’s what makes human and unique
18. The knowledge that I can not control anything except how I react to outcomes
19. Realizing that I am enough
20. Knowing that whatever I’m searching for is within me
21. My lineage and the strong woman who came before me
22. My empathy and compassion that help me relate to people from all walks of life
23. My passion for storytelling
24. Being able to start over, every day is a new day, and there’s nothing better than the present moment to make your goals come true
25. My husband, my other half. He is the sunshine in my life and encourages me to stand on my own and be great at whatever I do
26. Meditation and the ability to discard thoughts that no longer serve me
27. Community, it’s a beautiful feeling to find your tribe
28. My yoga practice, moving your body is powerful
29. My breath, it sustains me throughout my life. With one breath, I can change my mood
30. The ability to forgive myself, this is a constant work in progress
31. The older I become, the less I care about others opinions
32. Realizing that what other people think of me is a reflection of themselves
33. The ability to show compassion to myself and others, knowing that I am right where I’m supposed to be

  I’m grateful for all of the lessons I’ve learned throughout these 33 years. Many of the experiences have been challenging to go through, there have been times where I saw no end to whatever I was going through or simply didn’t love or believe in myself, nonetheless all of the things I’ve been through, with all of the difficulties, setbacks, and heartbreaks have been essential to my growth.

  Anytime you are feeling sad, overwhelmed or are being too hard on yourself make a list of the things you are thankful for. This will serve as a reminder of how great you are and how far you’ve come.

  Sending you so much love today and always! xoxoxox