7 for SEVEN

7 for (1)

Youuuuu guuuuysss…I’m super excited for the week ahead!!! I woke up this morning in a great place mentally, the world was just beginning to wake up and I had time to get through my morning ritual which included fixing lunch for today! Whoo hoo!

I feel so proud of me! Which makes me even more excited to share with you my SEVEN for this week:

IMG_20150117_063010Early morning movement. I joined a walking group at work last year just to try something new, meet new people and get some exercise in first thing on Saturday mornings. Things went well for a while but life got in the way and the group kinda just fizzled. On Monday last week I met a co-worker in the elevator and he mentioned that he missed the group and was thinking about reviving it. I was game and apparently the other members of the group felt the same way. So we met at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday morning and did a 4 mile walk. This view made it all worth it.

Coffee Finds. Quite by accident I found a little coffee shop not far from my office. The coffee was good, service was excellent and they have a vegan menu. It’s definitely going to become a favourite spot of mine this year.

Dinner with friends. Not being home for the Christmas season meant that when I did get back home…I was going to have to do some catching up (read more liming than usual). Why not kill two birds with one stone right? So I had dinner at a restaurant I never tried before as well as catching up with my hippie blogger friends.

Which brings me to Tiramisu twice in one week! Because if it’s on the menu…I’m definitely having it.
Tiramisu

And speaking of dinner with friends, First time ferry rides. In a bid to continue mixing things up for 2015 and continuing my trend of trying one new thing (big or small) a day, dinner with my hippie friends was out of my comfort zone – geographically. I live in the north of the island and dinner was in the south. So instead of my usual way of commuting north /south I decided to take the ferry to get there. No traffic, comfortable environment and just forty-five minutes travel time…aaand I was able to check off a novel experience.

My team. My first week back out to work was hectic to say the least. My team made it bearable and I am grateful for this group of guys. February 03rd will be a year since I joined the team and the growth for all us in that time has been immeasurable.

Lunch with coworkers who are really friends. I am blessed with a Cohort of Awesome at the office that I wont trade for anything. We caught up this week for a meal and some great conversation.

Attracting my tribe. Jim Rohn said that we are the sum of the five people we spend most time with. After my mother got sick, and I was forced to grow up; I no longer had time for time-wasting and other life-force sucking crap. I started evaluating my friendships and the people I allowed into my life…this evaluation resulted in me ending two toxic friendships and being more aware of how I contribute to my friends’ lives and how they contribute to mine. Since becoming more aware I have been truly blessed with a Cohort of Awesome who push me toward living my best life. And even now the people who come into my life…always come with a lesson or a message that makes me better.

And there you have it. I hope that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

Quote of the Day

My goal is to live a life I don't need a

7 for Seven

7 for (1)

Hello Loves! It’s kinda hard to believe that we are already almost halfway through January.

My vacation is officially over! Today was my first day back out to work and since it was the first time for the year I was seeing everyone…I found myself wishing people ‘Happy Everything for 2015’. But I did get some questioning looks and I have to ask: when is it okay to stop wishing people a ‘Happy New Year’?

After all January isn’t so new anymore and I’m beginning to think maybe it’s time I stop. I think after Wednesday I will officially stop!

What I can’t stop doing however, is finding just one thing everyday to be grateful for. So without further ado, I give you my SEVEN for this week.

Coffee Love. Started the week with this cuppa love!

IMG_20150105_122917

Snow Days. It’s kinda hard to believe that a week ago I was is -10 degree weather. We had a lovely snow day and I spent it with my cousin who got the day home from school because the roads were bad. Quality time with the soon to be 15-year-old was truly priceless!

Which brings me to My appreciation for sunshine. -10 degree weather and having my plans canceled because of heavy snowfall…makes one appreciate island life, sunshine, sand, sea and even the rain. At least with rain you can still move around. Snow is nice and all but one can lose one’s appreciation for it real quick. I have promised myself I wont complain about how hot the sun is for at least two weeks.

And speaking of sunshine, Watching the sun rise. I was fortunate to have a window seat on the red-eye flight home. Watching the sun creep over the horizon is totally different from above the clouds. It’s like having a front row seat to observe the majesty of God and His wonderful creation.

The awesome pilot on the flight home… My inbound flight was pretty horrendous. The turbulence was nerve-racking. So it was a sweet welcome relief that the Captain of the flight home – Captain Dowdy (sp) – took the time and effort to explain everything that was happening from the moment we pushed back at JFK to landing in Trinidad. He really made sure to reassure us that everything was okay and that we were in safe hands. This, while being seated next to a passenger who took great (read sadistic) pleasure in talking about the recent aviation disasters in Asia.

Dinner with the sibs. Our first dinner for 2015 – we have a family dinner every month. This is a practice we started after my mum died. Yes we talk to each other almost every day and we all eat at my sister’s house more times a month than we should, but we still find the time to go out and share a meal…and try something new.

Happy family news. While it’s too early to share all the details here, I will say big tings ah gwaan in the Superville-Chang clan and I am so proud of my sibs!!!

And there you have it. Here’s to this awesome gratitude practice. I hope that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

I love hearing from you…what are you grateful today? What made you smile? Feel free to share below!

7 for SEVEN

7 for (1)

Hello Loves! I hope 2015 has started off well for you and that you’ve set some intentions for living your best life over the course of this year. If you haven’t had the time yet…my hope is that you make some time over the next few days to do so.

While we may not know what 2015 holds, we do know who holds it. Thus, my prayer for you is that you surrender this brand new year to God. Get clear on what happiness means to you and then let go of everything else. I have been on vacation for the last two weeks so I am still in that hazy, glow of relaxation. But I feel like this is the space I needed to get clear on the kind of life I want to live this year.

7 for Seven started out as an experiment last year to change my “ugh…Mondays Suck!” feeling. I adopted this gratitude practice, which originated at Key + Arrow as a way to remind myself at the beginning of my work week of at least seven things from the week before (just one little thing a day) that I have to be grateful for.

And let me tell you…this practice not only completely changed my view of Mondays…I actually started looking forward to posting my Seven. I found out that paying attention to all the good things in my life made me happier. And you know what they say…like attracts like. Ergo, Happy people attract good things.

This 7 for Seven practice works quite like compound interest…except it applies to life. I feel like I am living a compound life because of it. And now without further ado, I give you my first SEVEN for 2015:

2015! I’m living in the future baby!!! We made it dear reader! We made it!

Starting the year with family. I am grateful that my entire family made it to 2015 with me. We have been through it and reflecting on those sad times made me so thankful as 2014 slipped into 2015 that we spent 2014 relatively grief-free. We don’t know what the coming months may hold, however, as for this present moment…we’re all here. And I am grateful for that.

Which brings me once again to Love of family. I feel blessed to be part of this family. God chose this time in history and this particular pack of stone cold weirdos as my companions on this journey. I could not have asked for a better tribe. And just so you know…fellow mutants are always welcome!

Checking items off my life list. 2015 has started with some major check marks on long-standing Life List items. The sense of accomplishment has been incredibly freeing!

Finding time for gym…while on vacation. Because…you know I’m not saying no to any of that holiday good stuff on this here vacation. I am ever grateful to my cousin who has appointed herself my trainer for the last two weeks.

Trinis are everywhere. Trinis are like salt…you can find us in every thing. I went to a random club in DC, on a random night and the DJ turned out to be Trinidadian. I mean the man (after I challenged him to play some Soca) was throwing down 2015 hits like it was nobody’s business! It was truly phenomenal!

Growing up. Moving On. Letting go in love. Finally. I don’t know when it happened. But it did.

And there you have it. Here’s to 51 more weeks of this gratitude practice. I hope in the coming months that by paying attention to all that I have to be thankful for and sowing the seeds of faith and gratitude, I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Thank you for reading, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Make those seconds count!

Questions

When this television news anchorman who is fighting brain cancer in Illinois shared with viewers (and the whole world) that he was told by his doctors that he only has four to six months to live; I could not help but admire his bravery and honesty and his faith in God.

And of course he made me think about what I would do, and how would I spend my time, if I learned that I only had six months left to live myself.

WWYD?Would I do the same things I am doing now, only with a little more care?

Would I want to continue working for as long as I can like Dave wants to?

Or would I want something more?

The answer is something more.

I would want more joy, more kayaking at sunset, more home cooked meals shared with my Cohort of Awesome, more clarity, more soul-stirring Masses that leaves me spiritually sated, more giving, and certainly more Love. I would want to celebrate each day that I woke up and realized that I was still in the land of the living. I would want a life that has room for only the things that matter.

Would I still worry about the past? I don’t think so. I would probably bless it and let go of all the shitty things I still hold on to once and for all. I would probably accept finally that my life is not perfect but it is wonderfully imperfect just as it is. Cuz it’s mine.

Would I count my blessings each day? Yes and I would probably keep a gratitude journal just to remind myself every day of all the things I have to be grateful for.

Would I hold on to all the stuff I’m keeping “just in case”? If I’m honest, those things would probably be the first to go.

The really big question now that I’ve done all these brain things is: What am I waiting on to start doing those things NOW? In the time I do have?

I’m not promised tomorrow…two weeks or even six more months. So what am I waiting on to start living the life I described above?