The fall season is one of my favourite times of the year. From PSLs to the crisp autumn breeze, from the changing leaves to Halloween – fall is the wonderful season that helps us to wind down and get cosy before the winter months set in.
Another reason to love fall is simple – it reminds us to pause and take time to think about all that we are grateful for
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, your friends, or even on your own – it’s the perfect opportunity to pause, take a breath, and spend some time reflecting on the people and things in your life that have brought you the most joy.
We can often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Between work, littles, chores, and all the other responsibilities life throws our way, it can be a challenge to consistently practice an attitude of gratitude.
So, while we’re in this season of thanks, I wanted to take some time to share the things that I’m most grateful for.
My health and the health of my family
I’m grateful that my family and I are fortunate enough to be healthy. There are many people out there who struggle with their health on a regular basis. And while we get the usual colds and the occasional tummy bug, overall we have no serious health illnesses or issues – and for that, I am thankful.
My family
I can’t imagine an existence without my family – and I wouldn’t want to. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s always easy. It’s not. Family life can be chaotic, it can be messy, it can be stressful, and it can be downright exhausting. But with all of those things comes a love so deep that it ignites a sense of purpose and brings a peace to my heart that I never could have imagined.
I am blessed to be a mom to Reign and Ryder, my little fur babies are something I don’t take for granted.
Self-awareness
I am thankful to have learned who I am and to have the self-awareness to see what serves me, my family and my life goals. Believe it or not, some people live an entire lifetime unaware of who they are or what they want. They spend their lives so concerned about what other people think of them or more worried about making others happy than they are about finding their own happiness.
Being self-aware has allowed my confidence to soar and, in the process, taught me another valuable skill – the ability to say ‘No’ and to give an honest reason for doing so.
It can be intimidating to think about saying ‘No’ to the things that don’t work for us or the things we don’t want to do. But with some practice, I have learned that saying ‘No’ not only makes space to spend more time with family but it also helps me to build honest and healthy relationships with those around me.
Letting go of FOMO (the fear of missing out)
It can be really tough not to get swept up in all of the fun we see on social media or hear about from our loved ones. We hear stories about friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances going out on the town and living it up! We see their posts and social media and they seem to be having the time of their lives.
In comparison, this can make us feel as if our own lives are boring. But that simply isn’t the case. I’m thankful that I’ve learned to let those feelings go and recognize that it’s unnecessary to be in on everyone else’s plans. It has allowed me to invest more of my emotions, time and attention into the people who matter the most to me.
Embracing alone time
There is power in knowing how to stand on your own two feet and I’m thankful to see what an immense impact this has made on my life. Part of learning who we are is figuring out how to eliminate the noise of the people around us and to listen to our inner-voices.
Growing individual relationships
I’m thankful that I’ve been able to build one-on-one relationships with friends and family.
I love a good family gathering, having everyone under one roof and sharing an evening of fun. But the intimacy of fostering one on one relationships, separate from a friend or family group, lets me connect with loved ones on a much deeper level. I learn about their interests and their lives and I have the opportunity to share mine too.
Leaving the negativity behind me
With all of the learning and soul searching that I’ve done, I’m incredibly thankful to realize that I needed to release the negativity from my life.
It can be hard to let go of the toxic people in your life, especially if they’re family or have been a part of your life for a long period of time. But the truth is, it’s more important to keep quality people in your life than it is to have a large number of people in your life. You know the quality over quantity metaphor. I am embracing the idea of exclusivity and removing those in my life that haven’t been there for me or shown support to me during my times of need.
Standing up for what I believe in
I’m thankful for the strength to stand up for myself and my communities. I cannot sit by and be silent when jokes or remarks are made at the expense of my skin colour or any other skin colour.
I’m thankful that I believe and advocate for kindness and tolerance. Everyone is deserving of love, kindness and opportunity. And the only way to get there is through standing together and educating ourselves (and each other) along the way. If we’re able to stand firm and lead by example, we can make the world a more peaceful place to be.
Knowing that I am worth it
We all have dreams and if we’re brave enough to chase them, we can make our lives what we’ve always envisioned them to be. It’s not always a smooth journey to our goals. There are often roadblocks in our way or people telling us that we’re not good enough.
I’m thankful that I’m able to remind myself that just because someone can’t see the value in my goals, doesn’t mean they aren’t worth chasing.
