Gratitude Day 30

On the last day of 30 Days of Tessism I am overwhelmed with gratitude for ALL OF IT!!!

Gratitude:  I am grateful for making it all the way through another November of blogging every day for 3o days.  Whew!   I made it!  It was great looking at gratitude each day this month.  It kept focused and grounded.  Gratitude beats back all the things that plague my life: frustration, upset, you name it.

There is so much that I am grateful for and 30 days does not come near to relaying it all.  I have a charmed life and these 30 reminded me of the blessings I sometimes take for granted.

Gratitude creates that amazing life.  Without it I would never stop and appreciate all the wonderful people and experiences that make up every day.  Thank you for following me on this journey each and every day!  See you next year!

Challenge Day 29

Day 29 of 30 Days of Tessism is bristling with gratitude for the unforeseen.

Gratitude:  Today I am grateful that the power and internet outages I’ve constantly faced during my stay in Nigeria did not prevent me from blogging every day for the past 29 days.  I am grateful that disaster was barred and I did what I needed to do each time to get each entry out.  This is my second year of blogging every day in November and it’s been quite a journey!  See you tomorrow for the finale!

Gratitude Day 28

Day 28 of 30 Days of Tessism brings gratitude from the other side of the screen.

Gratitude:  Today I am taken aback by how grateful I am for YOU.  The fact that you are reading this and have been for so long makes such a difference for me.  Without you, I would have no fuel to continue.  Your comments and encouragement keep going through power and internet outages in Nigeria to make sure I post something each and every day.  This would pointless without you.  Thank you for reading every day.  Thank you for caring to comment and email.  Thank you for providing the fire for this engine to go all the way!

Gratitude Day 27

Day 27 of 30 Days of Tessism discovers gratitude right under it’s nose!

Gratitude:  I sifted through my hard drive of thousands of pictures over the past few years and realized that I have a great life.  I am grateful for the past years of adventure, love and wonder thanks to the amazing people surrounding me.  I have had so much fun with so many friends doing anything our hearts desire.  It has been a privilege to blaze trails with the beloved people in my life.  I am grateful for the blast my life has been and continues to be.  I wouldn’t change it for a thing!

Gratitude Day 26

Day 26 of 30 Days of Tessism leaves gratitude for what delights the eye.

Gratitude: I am grateful today for the majesty and awesome beauty of Nigeria. I still cannot believe I am here. After years of tales of Africa’s beauty, I am here to witness it. There are trees like nothing I have seen before. There are endless stretches of green land and red clay. I am grateful to see this with my adult eyes that can appreciate them in this lifetime. It is incredible.

Gratitude Day 25

Day 25 of 30 Days of Tessism brings gratitude very different from last year.

Gratitude:  Today, I am grateful to be in a warm place in November.  No snow.  No coat.  Just warm and sun here in Nigeria.  I never expected to be here but here I am.  I miss New  York but the warmth and new adventure is great consolation.  I am grateful for something I did not plan which gives me a reprieve from the norm.  I am grateful for the sun that blots out the storm.

Gratitude Day 24

Day 24 of 30 Days of Tessism finds gratitude in simplicity.

Gratitude:  Today is the beginning of the last 7 days o f 30 Days of Tessism.  I am grateful that I’ve made it this far in the challenge another year in.  I am grateful for the pleasure of every day.  I am grateful for this life.  It is all I have and it is more than enough.  Take time today to look at the simple pleasures that make your life worth living.  Look at the people you love.  For all of it, give thanks.  I know I am.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Gratitude Day 23

Day 23 of 30 Days of Tessism finds gratitude amidst chaos.

Gratitude:  Today, I am grateful for the peace I find no matter what storm falls upon me.  Somewhere, there will be quiet and an end to the confusion.  Then new roads, new paths will open up for me.  New possibilities never before imagined become available because of those tribulations.

From the rain comes new life and something more magnificent than what was there before.  This happens time and again.

I am grateful that while in life, troubles may be a constant, victory is constant too.

Gratitude Day 22

Day 22 of 30 Days of Tessism is all about gratitude for something simply pleasureable.

Gratitude:  Today, I am grateful for the opportunity to stop everything, sneak away and catch a moment of respite from my hectic life.  A nap takes that gratitude to another level of ecstasy.  I’m glad for the times when I take a moment to myself and relax.  During those times, the forces in my world collude to make sure that no one disturbs me until I’m ready to jump back in.  I am responsible for nothing and no one.  I have nothing to do do.  Nowhere to go.  Absolute heaven.

Those moments give me the fuel to keep going and going to achieve my goals.  I am utterly grateful for time to relax and be with myself.

Gratitude Day 21

Credit: Mikael Persson

On Day 21 of 3o Days of Tessism, gratitude comes in the aftermath.

Gratitude:  Today, I am grateful for how quickly and easily I recover from disasters.  I don’t just learn my lesson and slink away.  Every setback has an unseen victory and I am grateful for the fortune to find that win every time.  It doesn’t happen right away but eventually I realize that some circumstances I so desperately fought for or against were actually not  what I thought they were.  The things I was so sure were right turn out to not be so and getting the opposite of what I planned works out in my favor and vice versa.  In that way, I have grown to trust God and the Universe that it will all work out eventually.  For that I remain grateful.