Gratitude

Today, I thought I’d write a blog post in response to this weeks Motivational Monday from Sprinkle of Glitter, a blog I love and am constantly inspired by. Four days ago, Sprinkle of Glitter (a.k.a. Louise) wrote a list of all the things she felt grateful for in her life and why, with the purpose of making her feel happy about herself and to make her readers also think about the topic in relation to themselves.

Which is exactly what happened. I found her post so uplifting and – as a given – motivational, that I felt I had to do the same and write my own list to share with you. I think it’s good to step back and take into account everything we have around us that we may sometimes take for granted. So, the following is my list of things I am truly grateful for and doubt I could live without.

1) My Circumstances:

I feel very grateful to live in a loving environment with two parents and a brother who would do anything for me, as I would do for them. To live in a house that is clean, well looked after and safe is something I feel most people do take for granted, because the nasty truth that can sometimes be ignored is that some people don’t have these simple luxuries that others think of as normal. Thinking about it now, it saddens me that some people can’t feel the way I do about my own situation, which makes it even more important for me, and others, to appreciate where they are and who they have around them.

2) My Brother:

Despite the occasional arguments and the ominous cabbage smell, I am grateful to say I have a brother like William. It is unfortunately true that a lot of siblings fight, annoy, and don’t get on with each other the way William and I do, which makes me feel as though they are missing out. My brother and I have a very different, yet great relationship, whereby we talk to each other like best friends, but also have the brother-sister bond, which I think takes it to a new level. We are so close and we tell each other things that we wouldn’t tell another soul, not even our best friends. We share many of the same interests, which spark awesome conversations about the randomest of things, and means we want to do things together such as attend the same music festivals and concerts. Having my own personal confidant whom I live with not only makes life at home funny and interesting, but also special. Overall, he’s an awesome brother (though I’d never tell him).

3) My Dad:

As you will know if you read my last blog post, The 21 Questions Tag, my dad isn’t my biological father, but that doesn’t mean he is valued any less by both me and my brother. Not only am I grateful to have him in my life because he goes out and works hard to earn money that he mostly spends on my brother and I, and not only does he make terrible dad-jokes that are so awful to the extent that they’re funny, but I am also thankful to have my dad around, because he has had to change his whole life for us. It must be strange to meet a woman and fall in love, but she already has two kids whose early years you missed. As I was only three when he became a part of our lives, he features in most of my earliest memories, which is great because it feels as though he’s always been there. But for him, he had to quickly adapt from single guy living alone, to full-time father of two kids, without the nine-month pregnancy to prepare, not to mention the fact he didn’t even know us as people, or our personalities. But I look at what he had to do and how he did it with awe and admiration, as I know it must have been hard, and if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the great dad I do today. It’s one thing to be classed as someone’s parent, but another to be their father, and my dad fits that father role perfectly, being everything a dad can be.

4) My Mum:

After hearing the last two things in my life I am grateful for, you must have seen this one coming, but as well as being my personal chef, cleaner, and bank, my mum is also my closest council and best friend. I know that saying she is ‘the best mum in the world’ is very cliché and that I’m pretty bias as she’s the only mother I’ve ever had, but I seriously cannot imagine life without her and would hate to not have her around. She is so kind, and thoughtful, and clever, and beautiful, and I know that sometimes she feels underappreciated by me, William, dad, and others, but I will never cease to be grateful toward you, Mummy. I love her so much and I know many other people do to. She puts everyone before herself and always thinks of others, and I wish she would see herself the way I see her everyday. In exactly one year, I will be leaving home to go off to university, and as exciting and giddy about the prospect as I am, the idea of moving out and not seeing her everyday is terrifying and heartbreaking. Even though texts every day and thousands of phone calls will not be enough to satiate the horrible feelings that leaving her will create, I will always think of her and forever thank her for the years of care, love, and knowledge she has given me. Mummy, I love you and even with a six-hour distance between us, you still wont get rid off me.

5)  Me:

And finally, I am grateful to be me. Pretty much everyone in the world is not fully satisfied with himself or herself, whether it’s the way they look, the way they speak, who they are or what they do. But even though we may wish to be different, I believe we must try to come to terms with the person each of us are. I am grateful that I am the type of person that wants to learn more, who strives to do something different and better myself. No, I am not perfect by any means, and yes, there are things about me I would change if I could, such as wanting my skin to be clearer, or wishing I was better at talking to people and making new friends. But despite this, the last two years have taught me that I can still be happy as I am. I can read, write, listen, learn and – perhaps most importantly – breathe and live, and I am so incredibly grateful for that. I can always better myself and go after anything I want, no matter what anyone else thinks. I have found that being happier with myself has helped me do things I never though I’d be able to do, especially recently as I’ve started opening up and talking to new people. I used to hate how big my eyes were; now I love them. I used to hate the way I looked because I didn’t think I was as ‘hot’ as the other girls at school; now I know I can feel attractive by just being me. The point of life is to enjoy it, so how can you do that if you can’t even enjoy yourself. Haha, bit of a philosophical rant here, but I think I’m getting my point across! So, using a great quote that I love and emulating the voice of YouTube’s fabulous Tyler Oakley: “You do you, and I’ll do me.” Be yourself and be grateful to be you. J

And these are the big parts of my life that I am grateful for and that make me happy on a daily basis. I would like to thank Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter for giving me this idea and also sharing the things she feels gratitude toward, as I think it’s a great exercise for anyone to do if they want to pick up their mood on a bad day; I highly recommend it and I know I feel happier after writing this.

I would love to hear your own gratitude lists, so tell me in the comments below some of the things you are most grateful for in your lives, to give yourself and pick-me-up and to inspire others to think of their own list.

And in the true style of Louise: Toodlepip! xx

Eleanor J