I’ve been incredibly busy as of late. It’s almost as if I live in the future, just anxiously waiting to finish a task on this forever checklist of mine. However, let me take a moment to reflect. Reflect with me as I recognize who and what I’m grateful for during this holiday season.
Who and What I’m Grateful For
When I think about what or who I’m grateful for, I immediately think of my loved ones. I’m thankful to have them in my life. They continue to show up and show out. They’re my rock, my backbone.
While it’s perfectly clear to see why I’m grateful for my loved ones, I truly do mean it and I don’t take it lightly. With having a daughter, who’s almost a year and a half old, I’ve noticed just how much they’ve done for not only me, but my daughter.
They take care of me too and that’s something I learned a great deal of within this past year, how to better care for myself. I’ve struggled in this transition of becoming a mom, which you can read more about here. Therefore, I don’t take the support we receive lightly. It means a whole lot to me and I’ll always be grateful.
I’d also like to take this time to recognize myself, which isn’t something I’ve done a lot of recently. This year was a big year for me. I officially adapted to parenthood, graduated three times, earned two licenses and a certification, and secured two jobs… all while writing blogs and poems. Not to mention, I really took care of myself and learned more about myself.
In the blog post that I mentioned before, I explain in depth why I used to cry before even moving when waking up. Now I feel so much joy waking up. It’s a crazy realization that that’s where I was in my life a year ago. However, it took doing the work to get to where I am today. For that, I thank myself.
The very reason I wake up with so much joy is because of my daughter, another person I’m most grateful for. She makes me want to be a better person, not only for her, but for myself. Valkyrie truly is my greatest miracle.
She’s grown so much in such a short amount of time. Seeing her personality show with each day that passes only makes me wish I could stop time. I wish we could live in these moments forever. Even so, I’m happy to see it all happen and I’m excited to know that there’s more to look forward to.
Recap and Announcement
With the busyness of my life over the past year, I’ve forgotten what it felt like to truly take care of myself. I had to relearn what it meant to accept help from others, how to recognize when I needed help, and how to offer help as well.
Around this time last year, I applied to attend aesthetics school. Then, in December, I started aesthetics school. It was then that I started to feel parts of myself return. Before I knew it, I graduated in April with a secured position as an esthetician at KOSA. That’s when I felt a shift within myself and since then, I’ve continued to do the work on myself.
I’m incredibly grateful for my loved ones who’ve been by my side throughout this year. There were challenges I’ve faced that were my toughest, but I think I needed to go through them to get to where I am today. I haven’t felt what I feel now since before pregnancy. I remember feeling as though I was glowing. That wasn’t very much the case during 2022. Now towards the end of 2023? Yeah, I feel like I’m glowing again, maybe even brighter.
That couldn’t have happened without the people in my life, my partner, myself and my daughter, however. And, meditation. Meditation has been a part of my life for years. I’ve found that it gives me space. It gives me space to learn, to process, to feel and to grow. While I was pregnant with Valkyrie, I meditated daily. No wonder my nurses thought I was sleeping during labor (laughs)! It brings me back to living in today, rather than living in the future.
With that, I’m happy to announce that I’m a Certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher. I’d love to share more about my journey soon. For now, if you’re looking to learn more about it, please let me know!
What are you grateful for this holiday season?
