Gratitude

Something that I think gets lost in all of the talk about personal finance is gratitude.

Personally, my life is very far from where I started. When I was a child, my parents were constantly moving for work. I loved living in different places! The bad thing was that once I started school, I made friends only to leave them the next year or even months later.

I became very detached and reluctant to make friends, since I knew it was only a matter of time before I left again and I was friendless again. I stayed this way all the way until college, even though I actually did end up staying in the same middle school and high school all the way through.

When I got to college I kind of kept this mentality and didn’t want to let people in. However, the friends I made got through and really made me open my heart to them. We don’t live in the same city anymore, but I am so thankful that I met them. I am so grateful that my best friend made it her mission in life to become friends with me! She is the best friend I could have ever asked for and I don’t even want to imagine my life without her. Even if we don’t see each other all that often, she’s always in my heart and I love her immensely.

I even reconnected with one of my best friends from middle school and that relationship is going really well too! I’m honored to have people in my life that love me and earnestly care about my well-being.

Although I never imagined I would own a home, I ended up purchasing one almost a decade ago and I feel blessed that I have been able to make it look beautiful and take care of it. (Having a house is a lot of work that you don’t know until you have one!) It’s been a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of money, but I have made it work. I am grateful to have a beautiful home to call my own where I feel safe and that is in an ideal area for me.

I’m really happy that I have had the will to work so hard and that I’ve been lucky enough to land high paying side gigs and main jobs. Every move I’ve made has been to improve my life and I’m happy to say that it’s always worked. That’s not to say that I haven’t had troubles or that I haven’t had miseries at some points in my life, but I’ve always made it through and I’ve continued to thrive.

I feel blessed to have been born in the U.S. because my passport allows me entry into so many countries with limited issues. I haven’t counted how many countries I’ve been to, but I’ve visited all seven continents and so many beautiful countries. I’ve seen cities, rural areas, national parks, impressive landscapes, and wild animals. I’ve seen the aurora borealis! I’ve seen the midnight sun! I’ve hiked in rain forests, deserts, on mountains, through rivers, in snow, in sleet, in rain, and under the scorching sun! I’ve jumped off mountains and airplanes. I’ve been blown down hills by strong winds and rains! I’ve been inside the pyramids in Giza! I’ve come across snakes, cheetahs, and bears in the wild. I’ve done so much that at this very moment I can truly say that I have lived! Yet, there is so much more I want to do!

I’ve been in love. I’ve had truly wonderfully kind people help me during my journeys. I’ve had angels watching over me ensuring I survive no matter how I chose to endanger my life at that moment. I’ve met wonderful friends all over the world.

I am so incredibly grateful that I have lived this long and I have loved it all. Even the heartbreaks have made me a better person for having loved. I regret nothing that I’ve done. Even the dumb, reckless shit that could’ve been omitted. I’m truly glad to have survived though! I do tread a bit lighter now. I do pay more attention and have more patience now. I think about things a little bit slower to give myself time to make a better choice. I am so far from where I started, but I am definitely not where I want to be. I am a much better person for all I’ve lived though.

As far as my finances are concerned, I am so grateful to be nearing my next milestone. Earlier this year I thought I might hit it in December, but it looks like it will probably be next month. Again, I feel so blessed. I know I’ve made good decisions, but like I told my mom earlier: I was also very lucky. I don’t discount the presence of luck in my life. Yes, I have worked unbelievably hard. Yes, I have made myself learn to stop spending recklessly, as hard as that was! Yes, I did earn my degree. Yes, I have been responsible for paying my own everything since I was in college. Yes, I have read so much in order to make those good decisions! Yet, for all those things, I know there are other people that may have done the exact same things…yet not been as lucky. I cannot and will never say that I owe everything to myself. Yes, I worked my ass off, I don’t deny it. It’s not been an easy road. Yet, I have been lucky. The universe loves me. I can feel it.

I am grateful to have the wonderful life I now have. I will keep working to make it even more what I want. I have many goals. The big ones are financial, but the biggest one is to be happy. That’s all I want. I have that! I want to keep that. I feel at peace in my daily life. I go to sleep content that my bed is wonderful and that my body is healthy. In the morning I awake to the thought that I’m excited about the drive. (I don’t like traffic…at ALL, but I do love a morning drive! If I leave early enough I can avoid traffic!) Now that the weather is beginning to feel a tiny bit cooler, I am so excited for this coming season. I love that I find joy in so many little things. It makes me a happy person.

Thank you, Universe, for taking care of me. For loving and protecting me. For allowing me to fulfill my childhood dreams. I will spend the rest of my life doing my best to help other people live better lives. I am so thankful that my life has changed for the better, in so many ways.