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Giving Thanks and Feeling Thankful for the little things

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thankful

Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia

Friends and readers in the USA celebrated Thanksgiving Day yesterday and I believe the Canadians celebrate theirs in October. While we don’t have a similar sort of Thanksgiving Day here in Malaysia, I wanted to adopt it anyway because in the flurry of everyday life of chasing our dreams and keeping up with things, we often forget to pause and take stock of what we already have. Quite often, we forget that for many of us, we have a lot to be thankful for, for being where we are and having what we have.

Just reading this alone means you would be thankful for having the internet, an education, electricity, and a mobile phone (if you’re reading this on your mobile) 🙂

So I just wanted to share a few things I’m thankful for. You too can share what you’re thankful for, if you feel like vocalizing it, or you can just pause for a moment and think of 10 things that you’re thankful for. Believe you me, it will make you feel better, or if not, a little more thankful and appreciative.

As for me, I’m thankful for the following:-

  • Obedient hair with loads of volume (too much, I swear. I’m often asked if I’d just walked out of a salon on some days :P) so I never have to worry about my hair looking flat and lifeless and running my fingers through it neatens it up in a pinch! Haven’t owned a comb in a while haha!
  • Meeting lovely people on my blogging journey, many of whom have become friends in real life; and not meeting any serial murderers…yet.
  • Having a clean toilet at the workplace – the lighting sucks, but at least it’s clean and mostly dry
  • Having a comfy couch at my albeit messy home to go back to and crash on, at the end of long work days. Bought it many years ago and it’s nicely broken in now
  • Discovering the humble wash cloth/face flannel – totally changed my skin condition for the better
  • Keeping my head screwed on right when the world around me seems to be going off its rocker
  • Having the courage to undergo Lasik – about the only aesthetic enhancement I’d undergo – best thing I’ve ever done for myself
  • Friends who go out of their way to allow me to disrupt their lives at short notice
  • Having  enough good food that I’m having to size up my clothes – can’t kid myself  that I’m getting any thinner mmm… 😛
  • Family who support my harebrained schemes (and who tell me off when it matters)

Of course, I am always, always thankful for you, you and YOU reading this and reading my blog. Thank YOU! Without all your support, Post #2855 would never have happened 😀

What are you thankful for?

If you’d prefer not to share, pause for a moment. Think about what you’re thankful for. You may realise that at the end of the day, it is the little things and not the material things that truly matter 🙂

xoxo

Paris B

34 Insightful comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

34 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. A piece well-written! You made me relate and recall the many happier and better times when there is darkness along the path. I am thankful for having all my family members safe and sound, knowing that this world is getting sick. I am thankful for having a baby when I least expected it and she is now a naughty girl approaching 2! I am also thankful for being 170cm when most of my friends arent and I had to bend down to them everytime. But now, I am proud of who I am and stand tall (and straight is possible)! Hehehe

    Reply

    • Thank you Liyeun and I’m glad it made you pause and think of happy times. Congratulations on your little 2 year old and I’m sure she’s a pretty little thing like her Mom 🙂 Oh and your height! Man, you’re a stand out already 😀

      Reply

  2. How apt! How timely 🙂 I think it’s healthy for me to verbalise what I’m thankful for to stop me from going on a whinge-fest.

    1. My friends who love me enough to tell me I’m not going insane when I think I am or, who would have no qualms in telling me off when I AM going insane.
    2. My brains/wit/logic (or sometimes lack thereof) which has brought me friends from all walks of life because I was sarky enough to make them laugh.
    3. Where I am. Moving away and calling Melbourne home has possibly been the best thing I’ve ever done for myself as an adult. It’s allowed me to become who I truly am, free from the clutches and expectations of society. Each time I have some downtime to think and reflect, it’s one of the few things that hit me most.
    4. My job/work in this organisation – in this economic climate, I’m thankful I’ll always have a job at least for the next 3-5 years and it’s something that I’m actually pretty good at. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am but I wouldn’t have gained the respect and recognition in my field had it not been for management around me supporting me and forcing me to get out of my comfort zone and do something crazy.
    5. #cocopup (yes she deserves her own hashtag) because she drives me insane, she makes me laugh, she forces me to get off the couch and get active and healthy and she makes me look forward to the end of the day when a bounding furball comes up to me wagging her tail like she’s not seen me for 10 gajillion years. I’ve yet to meet a human who’s that excited to see me after an absence of 8 hours.
    6. YOU for being my sounding board and for verbalising my mushed up thoughts in an articulate way and for letting me rant and rave. The time difference is crap but hey at least it’s only 3 hours 🙂

    Reply

      • Thank you 😛 and for telling me to think over things each time I want to go crazy and splurge on something unnecessary. (Next time I’m going to Hermes, you’re coming with me)

        Reply

    • And thank YOU too for letting me whinge and whine and assuring me that I’m not going mad thinking I have a stalker! 🙂 I think its important for us to actually remember that despite what seems like a shitty life, we do have things to be thankful for. We just need to remember the little things 🙂

      Reply

  3. Ahh so many things I’m thankful for but to keep it short and not write a long essay as I normally would:
    1. My home – It’s tiny (you’ve seen it ;)) but it’s cozy and I absolutely love it. I love staying in and vegetating on the couch with Tim watching telly or just reading (the two of us sardined on the couch. It works!).
    2. Tim – freaking kao corny but this man allows me to be who I am and takes my shit lying down.
    3. Moving to Melbourne – like Geek, it was the best move I’ve made. Staying in Malaysia stifled me greatly and here, it allows me to do what I really want to do. Well, what I really want to do is sing and perform but I’ll leave the Australia’s Got Talent to the actual talented.
    4. Parents who allow me to swear in front of them – this is GOLD, I tell you.
    5. Blogging opportunities that allow me to try new things, experience and learn things I’ve never thought I’d learn and meet the amazing people I did.
    6. Thick hair – Westerners love it here. Don’t know why Asian hair people keep wanting me to have it permanently straightened. 😛

    Reply

    • LOL at No. 4 That IS Gold! 😀 and let’s have an amen for No.5. Wouldn’t have as much fun as I did the few days spent crashed at your place if not for blogging opportunities 😀

      Reply

  4. am thankful for many things that i won’t list them down, but i wanna wish for a safer country to be in instead of living in fear everyday! Or please give me an obedient and thick hair /sigh

    Reply

  5. This is really nice Paris! Maybe somewhere along the line, we could all do a “Thankful for” list, but instead of general, life stuff (which is great), it can be specifically beauty related. So maybe we have breakouts now and then, but minimal undereye dark circle, etc. Will sure help us appreciate ourselves a lot more!! Have a great weekend!

    Reply

    • Thanks Irene, I did run a beauty thanks list once but not many people were very thankful for what they already have, preferring to dwell on what they didn’t have LOL! Maybe we can have one again and see how that fares 😉

      Reply

  6. Thanks for sharing! Here’s my list of the things I’m thankful for…
    1. For my parents… they are the best! And the rest of the family, which include cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces… almost everyone is gathering in 2 weeks time to celebrate my grandmother’s 100th birthday!
    2. I did Lasik a couple of years ago too and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done as well!
    3. Being able to travel a few times a year, be it near of far. I love travelling!
    4. To live in a very cozy and comfortable home with a gym, pool and tennis courts at my doorstep, plus the most polite and hardworking guards and cleaners to help make the place so wonderful!
    5. Having a mum who bakes and a dad who cooks yummy goodies all the time! Which is affecting my waistline…
    6. Having the cheekiest niece and nephew who brighten up my life… except that they live in Melbourne and I only get to see them twice a year, but more often on Facetime 🙂

    OK, enough for now.

    Reply

    • That is a lot of very lovely things to be thankful for, Yu Ming. Thank you for sharing! I’m sure you’re all going to have so much fun at your gran’s 100th birthday – what an achievement! And you’re indeed lucky to have No. 5 – truly well rounded and erm… waistline will also be rounded LOL 🙂

      Reply

  7. A hundred things, really. Im thankful for life itself, The simple pleasure of waking up each day is a treasure I will always cherish. Happy days spent with a loving family and faithful friends can never compare to any luxury the world can offer. Everyday is a new reason to be grateful for. I am just thankful I was given the opportunity to experience life and all its sweetness and sorrows combined which molds me into what God purposed me to be .I am thankful for God’s mercy n grace upon my life despite my flaws.

    Reply

  8. Aawww 🙂 you are most favorite blogger especially for your writing style! love it and always look fwd to your posts 🙂
    I am so thankful to have amazing supportive family n friends who always stood by me and helps to bring out the best in me!

    Reply

    • Aww you’re sweet, Parita 🙂 Thank you and having a supportive family (even if they drive you nuts sometimes) is so important! Not only to our sanity but to our personal growth.

      Reply

  9. Nice post! I’ve learnt to be thankful, grateful more and more these days.. in fact, every morning and before sleep.. I will have a “thank you speech” (silently of course)..

    The moment I open my eyes in the morning, I thank that my heart is still beating, that I am still alive to have another brand new day to begin with; I thank the universe that I have my family and love ones and that they are safe and healthy.. thankful for every single little things I have now including the obstacles because that is what makes me grow and to be even more grateful for what I have.

    Before I close my eyes in the night, I will always say thank you, for I am home sound and safe. Thanks for a great day and I look forward for another brand new day.

    I adopt this habit ever since I met my boyfriend a year ago. Basically, he is the one making me realize that I am truly lucky and blessed enough compare to so many out there..

    Have a blissful day and a thankful life~ ^_^

    Reply

    • That is an amazing thing to learn, Audrey. Thank you so much for sharing the little ways in which to thank the universe for giving us what we have. I’ve found that when I’m aware or make myself aware of what I already have, it does make me more peaceful and more at peace with the world, instead of just being angsty and angry all the time. Not healthy either 🙂

      Reply

  10. I loved this post, Paris!
    You have a lot of amazing things to be thankful for, especially hair with loads of volume 😀
    I’m grateful for quite a few things myself:
    -my tiny, but still beautiful, new home in Milan
    -my mother’s goodnight texts
    -for being able to attend a university I’m deeply in love with
    and so much more.

    Reply

    • Thank you S, I’m glad you enjoyed it! It sounds like you’re very happy with what you’re doing now and that’s absolutely great! It’s so important to love your university because you spend so much time there. I actually used to enjoy going to lectures because I loved the old buildings they were housed in. Yes, I loved my university too and picked it because it was pretty. I later found out it was among the top schools for my chosen course and that was a bonus! 😀 p/s I think your mom is so sweet to text you each night! 😀

      Reply

  11. I am thankful for so many things.
    You DO have gorgeous hair.
    And yes, I thought you walked out of the salon prior to our lunch.
    Till our next meet up.

    Reply

  12. We seldom look at what we have in life and always focusing on what we hadn’t. Comparing lives with each other makes us forget the important values that should be cherished. I am thankful for whatever i have now, for the life i’ve live, for the love around me, and for the family i treasure the most.

    Reply

    • That’s right Dain. We spend too much time comparing ourselves with others and forgetting that if compared to someone less fortunate, we are pretty lucky ourselves! That realization is so important 🙂

      Reply

  13. Lovely post! I like how you inventorize the blessings because along the way in life, most days, we might get caught up with the little things that upset us instead of those that we can count our blessings on. Wow, your Lasik experience was inspiring though I am too scared at the thoughts of what might happen within the few seconds of the experience. But yes, with your pretty eye make up, wearing glasses or even contact lens will still be a big nuisance. Haha, that part about clean toilet…I cannot say the same for mine but I am glad you have the pleasant experience.

    My short list of blessings…

    1. Still…employed and be where I am all thanks to the great mentor that I met
    2. Mum and sis who will put up with my worst behaviour especially mum who will me love unconditionally no matter how rotten I am. Always there to catch my tears, clothe and feed me with the best food that she can cook with so much TLD
    3. Ventured into proper skincare routine after all these years of neglect and my skin has aged so much as a result. But better late than never
    4. Mingled and got to know some lovely and wonderful beauty bloggers like you and a few more

    Reply

    • Too true about focusing on what makes us angry as opposed to what makes us happy and blessed. I find it important that we at least realise that we are blessed in our little ways and that we don’t need a lot of material things to be happy because getting caught up in the rat race and looking over our shoulders at what others have does not make for a very happy life 🙂 It sounds like you too have a lot to be thankful for and hopefully there’ll be even more blessings to come 🙂

      Reply

  14. Wow, you are brave to undergo Lasik. I always chicken out once I start reading. (Plus, my current excuse is I ordered new glasses last week).

    I’m thankful for:
    – getting the letter to say I can move work sites! (but not ’til 2015)
    – being able to do what I want within reason quite comfortably
    – my immediate family
    – having two gorgeous birds who love me too

    Reply

    • I was scared as heck too, but eventually bit the bullet and never looked back! The most important thing is to find a good doctor you are comfortable with, and to take care of your eyes and to be aware of the shortcomings so you don’t get a nasty surprise. Thanks for sharing what you’re thankful for and gosh! You’ll have to wait a whole year to move work sites?!

      Reply

  15. That’s a lovely picture. You are always so sweet about reflecting back. 🙂

    Everyday, I am in the “charge! charge! charge!” mood. Post like this make me pause and reflect on my life too.

    I am very thankful for:

    (1) my husband – he’s the saviour in my life. And he gets rid of cockroaches when I am scared shitless!! 😀 Thankful that I could crash into my lovely bed at the end of a long day, with him beside me.

    (2) my in-laws. They help a lot with baby-sitting. Always there to support. 🙂

    (3) my mum & dad – Letting me have all the freedom in making decisions like uni major, life and etc. And for letting me come to this faraway land (it’s difficult for them) to be with my husband.

    (4) children – they indirectly help develop my emotional control (it’s still developing) and their laughter are the best medicine in the world. Thankfully, they go to bed before 7.30 PM which lets me have some “me” time every night.

    (5) blog education…! I used to be clueless about beauty stuff (pale blue eyeshadows in those days… you know what I mean?). I have learnt so much more ever since discovering beauty blogs. There are thousands of blogs out there, but your blog is the anchor. Really. Thank you, Paris! xxx

    (6) Finally… work. Thankful for lovely bosses who trusted me and giving me flexibility in work days during the week so that I can manage my family. 😀

    Reply

    • Aww Ting, you do have lots of nice things to be thankful for! 😀 I think in your case, it’s so helpful that your in laws are helpful because otherwise, it would be awful especially being so far away from home. That’s definitely something to be thankful for 🙂 I do think it important for us to actually think about these things at least once in a while because we take so much for granted that we forget the little things that really matter to us.

      Reply

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