This past weekend for myself and my fellow Canadians, was Thanksgiving. For me it was a great long weekend where I allowed myself to almost completely unplug for the first time in a very long time. I love my job and I love what I do but receiving over 100 emails a day consistently can get a little overwhelming (major understatement right there) and it was so great to just turn off my phone and emails and allow myself some quiet time with James and Herman and my friends and family to just enjoy and appreciate the life that I work so hard to create.

This space away from technology and obligations gave me the time to reflect on what I'm truly thankful for and I'm a lucky lady - I have lots in my life that is so wonderful and amazing. I try to be a mostly optimistic person. I'm very sensitive to other people's energy and as such, I try to surround myself with mainly positive minded people as well and today I want to try to spread some of that positivity by sharing a few of the many things I'm grateful for.

1. My Health

This one seems pretty generic but seriously, how amazing is it to be healthy and happy and be able to live your life with ease?! If you haven't taken any time recently to acknowledge that gift and that privilege - please do so. I have friends my own age who already suffer from health conditions that make life painful or more difficult. I myself spent years in chronic pain after an intense shoulder injury. Not a day went by that I wasn't in excruciating pain. It affected my sleep, my energy, my happiness and my day to day activities and basic functioning. If you are healthy, be thankful. Be grateful for your mental and physical abilities. My grandmother was fairly recently diagnosed with dementia, something my family has known unofficially for a while now. We've watched my grandmother change from a woman who was confident, outgoing and sharp to a woman who is scared, unsure and unaware sometimes of even where she is or who she's with. Watching her struggle has given me so much gratitude for my mental health and my support system. If you're lucky enough to be healthy and happy (I'm speaking in relative terms here - we all fall ill or have off days), be grateful. And if you have someone in your life who isn't - take today as a reminder to be patient and give them a little extra time and care.

2. My Relationships

I'm so fortunate to have so many incredible people in my life. James is without a doubt my rock. And let me tell you guys, he puts up with all kinds of crazy from my end on the regular. He keeps me calm, he motivates me, he supports me and he helps in ways that I can't even begin to express. I also have a wonderful family who is so loving and supportive and thoughtful. I'm very grateful to be surrounded by my family and live so close to them so that I always know that I have a support system so close to home. I'm also so lucky to have a group of the kindest, most amazing friends a girl could ask for. I may not get to see most of them as often as I'd like but I'm so lucky to know that at any given time, I have people who love and care about me that I can call on for help, for fun or just to get together and chat. It's so easy to take our relationships for granted, especially those closest to us so today, take some time and just send a text or an email to those closest to you and just let them know you're thinking about them.

3. My Circumstances

Let's be honest here for a moment - the world can be a crazy place sometimes. It's hard not to get caught up in the hype and get depressed or overwhelmed with the state of the world when there is so much hate and anger and violence going on. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful to live in a country where I'm free. Where as a woman I'm not faced to severe discrimination and abuse. Where I can speak my mind and practice my beliefs freely without fear of punishment. I live in a beautiful new home, I have a job I love and I'm fortunate enough to have a roof over my head, food on my plate and people around me that I love. It's easy to get caught up with our #firstworldproblems and by no means am I downplaying the severity of the problems I'll encounter sometimes on a daily basis but I try as often as I can to remember in the grand picture, how fortunate I am.

Life goes by so fast and even though I try to not to, I too get caught up sometimes in my own problems and issues but over this weekend I realized the importance of slowing down and appreciating what you do have. Don't let the world pass you by only to realize you've spent more time focussing on what you don't have than what you do.

So there you go, a little post long weekend nugget of wisdom from me to you ;)

I'd love to know what you're grateful for! XO