The candles are lit, and my mom gets my family and friends ready to sing a song of joy – happy birthday. At that single moment I only cared about the food and the next game of tag you might play with my friends. It was seen as a day where you are given the presents that you’ve always wanted, and are treated like a princess that you always thought you were. That was me, a little girl that was overjoyed by the little things in life with no clue about the reality despite living in it. I have never taken a second to rewind and see how far I’ve come over the years, yet have stuck in the moment for years. For this reason, I wanted to dedicate this blog to reflecting back through the years, and what I have learned up to this day. By the time this is posted it will be the day of my birthday, and let me tell you that it’s been a roller-coaster. I feel old. I am officially going to be 15, which makes me think I’m halfway to thirty despite it being a reality. I find it interesting to recognize that until the age of 9 I looked up to my birthday as a celebration of getting older, and now as I am getting older it seems sad yet exciting to see myself transform overtime. The older I have gotten, the more I have realized about life, people, and the morals that I should live by. Sometimes I feel as if life is going by too fast, even though I do have to accept that’s a reality. Through my 15 years of existence and living in this generation, I have realized a lot about life. I tend to feel like a 30 years women at times, due to how much I know(or how much my generation knows) compared to my parents. As the generations tend to get more and more competitive, and human characteristics are shadowed we are now seeing huge labels put over the people that we are today. The idea of individuals using others for the money or fame seems like the presence of human decency is still present. Many individuals look for labels, yet don’t seem to look at the “small” qualities that individuals hold. I tend to feel like as time passes our world seems to expand and evolve so far, yet tear apart so delicately at the same time. As my birthday comes closer, I tend to feel grateful for the little things in life. I find that I’ve seen so many stories, and how much so many of my friends are going through, they would wish to have some of the things in my life. I find that being grateful to family and friends is so vital, as you don’t know when you can lose an individual. This year, I am working towards being grateful for what I have, and being kinder to myself. With this reflection, I want you to give your loved one a hug and tell them how much you love them. Life is short, and I am willing to live it to the fullest to some limitations in terms of core values/morals. Do what it takes to make your dreams come true, and I’m manifesting that this is going to be the best year yet.
I find that gratitude is something many individuals are working on as there are so many factors that play into not feeling that you don’t have enough. I wanted to share a quote(by Oprah Winfrey) that has helped me break through those feelings.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
This quote in specific changed the way I thought, and after hearing this I never took anything for granted. It made me appreciate my loved ones around me for holding on to me, and never letting ago during the worst times. My parents have gone through so much, yet have done so much to provide for me. I love them so much for that, and the amount of thank you’s I could say would never be enough. I feel like many if us could resonate with that. If you have a loved one that has been with you for a long time, thank them. I promise it will be worth it.
