I woke up to some pretty sad news on Saturday morning. Marcia Henville, mother, journalist and activist, who marched to the beat of her own drum was killed in a fire that was deliberately set at her home.

Our paths crossed a few years ago and during that time being part of each other’s journey, I was always in awe of her. She knew who she was and she was fearless in expressing that. What struck me first was her statement hair (I think I’ve seen it every colour of the rainbow), statement nails and that she spoke her mind.

At that time in my life, I was just finding out who I was and was still struggling with letting the world see the real me. I wanted to be that fearless and express myself…just like she was doing. A quality I always admired in her.

Eventually our paths diverged again but whenever we saw each other…she always made sure to catch up. The thing that struck me on Saturday morning after I heard the news was people referring to her death as “untimely”.

Yes, her life was “taken” in an act of violence and I pray that justice prevails. But I don’t agree that her passing was “untimely”.

We die when we are supposed to die.

That’s why we must live when we have life to do so. And there is no denying that Marcia.lived.her.life. AND OUT LOUD.

Sudden death. Violent death. Long goodbyes. Death…is a call or a reminder for us who remain to LIVE EACH DAY.

Here is my SEVEN for this week:

Coffee dates with friends. I was feeling down on Saturday…understandably so. And I am blessed with friends who are always up to some kind of foodie shenanigans and who welcome company in need of a smile. Our coffee date…turned into a dessert for lunch kinda date.

“Pineapple pick-me-up.” Despite, the dessert cafe using the term tiramisu very loosely in describing this dessert…it was a nice pick-me-up.

Coffee dates that turn into food-tasting affairs. You know how it is with men and their toys..buy yourself a smoker…promptly start smoking the biggest hunks of meat you can find. Then invite your friends to try said hunks of meat. I was fortunate to be able to accompany a couple of friends to a “tasting” of the “fruits” of the experiment with Cherry Mesquite Turkey legs. It was yabba-dabba-doo good! And hopefully, soon to be in an Upmarket near you! *fingers crossed*

Matcha smoothies! Matcha tea is an acquired taste. In a bid to start drinking more green tea…I played fast and bought myself a tin of matcha. I pretty much gagged my way thru my first cup and promptly decided if the relationship was going to continue…I was going to have to come up with an alternative way of using it. And lo and behold the matcha smoothie was concocted! And it was yummy! And all was right in the world of green tea exploration once again!

Birthday dinners at new to me restaurants. I am aspiring to Eat Well & Travel Often. Thus far for 2015, I’m doing pretty great with the Eat Well aspect of my goals. I was able to try a new restaurant and celebrate one of my dear friends at the same time. Celebrations aside, I will not be going back to that restaurant. While their wait staff were amiable enough, the food was way too expensive to be that bland and they advertised tiramisu and they didn’t have any. All that aside, it was a fun night out with the Cohort of Awesome.

Which brings me to Finding fun ways to move ma body! All this eating well…must come with balance! I have added some fun new activities to my routine. I am proud to say that I now box three times a week and I dance – dancehall and soca (read plenty plenty wining) – twice a week.

I have never been happier, felt sexier or been stronger. And I found the most inspirational quote that just goes straight to the heart of how I want to live in 2015.

I don’t engage in exercise as a way to burn off calories or punish myself for last night’s dessert; now I move and stretch in ways that make me feel strong, relaxed and sexy. – Alex Jamieson

Living Each Day. “I admire the way you love and enjoy your life. Keep doing what you are doing.” This was posted recently on a photo of mine on Instagram. I needed to read hear that at that moment. Especially since I was feeling a bit judged by a person who took a swipe at me on an earlier post. I realized after reading the comment…that when I die, this is the message I would want to leave behind…that I loved and lived my life. Life is just too short…to live any other way.

Mastin Kipp said, “We wake up with the blessing of a fresh start. Begin to build your dreams again.” So I say to you: If you wake up and find yourself still in the land of the living…Dive in! Unfurl your wings. Live and Love with Passion. Dream fearlessly. Start living your best life now! There are seven days in the week, and “someday” isn’t one of them.

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, I appreciate you! 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!

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:

Early 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.

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!

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!

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!

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!