Sarah Warsi

This weekend marked Thanksgiving for Canadians and another year of reflection on what we are truly thankful for. I’ve come to really value the opportunity this holiday gives us to bring family and friends together as an escape from the noise of our everyday lives and just embrace the humility of good company, conversations and a delicious meal.

When it comes to reflecting on what we are grateful for, the list for me doesn’t change much from the previous year, but it does tend to evolve through personal experiences.

I share my 2018 list of reasons to be grateful and thankful:

Health

This is a no-brainer. Health is the real wealth. With so many incredible people silently fighting some of the toughest battles you could imagine, I continue to be eternally thankful for good health and the ability to wake up each morning and take on the world. I am also grateful for these true champions that have overcome their battles and come out stronger than ever. You are my heroes and I am so grateful for you.

Loved Ones – Close and Far

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my other half. While I don’t get to see some of my family members of often as I would like, I am humbled and thankful for their presence and equally thankful for the power of mobile devices and streamlined communication to allow us to check in on each other amid our busy lives.

I am thankful for the friends that are basically like family – the ones where the connection and mutual understanding was practically instantaneous; the ones I’ve reconnected with after so many years and it’s felt like not a day has passed.

I am thankful for the beautiful souls I’ve met in the last few years through the power of fitness. I am thankful to those I’ve connected with through the power of the universe and circumstance simply bringing us together.

I am thankful to those I’ve had the pleasure of reconnecting with through social media, and while we may only ever be acquainted through photo and video sharing, I am thankful for the connection.

And last but most certainly not least, I am thankful for the beautiful friendships I have made through my blogging.

You are all my loved ones in some form or another, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

Please know that no matter how MIA we all can get, you’re always in my thoughts and prayers.

Great Causes

I am grateful for the amazing fundraising initiatives all around us that, for years now, have tirelessly worked towards making a true difference in our lives. Whether it’s raising money for cancer research or the welfare of our beloved animals, it’s thanks to these efforts and our combined contributions by participating in activities that help drive more awareness to these causes, that we’ve come such a long way in making a real difference.

Present Moment and Inner Peace

Being thankful for the now is something that is so easy to overlook since we are naturally always looking ahead and planning for the future. There will always be a reason to not be completely satisfied in life, for one reason or another, but being thankful what you do have is so incredibly important. As many variations of the saying goes, the past is behind us, the future is ahead of us, and all we really have is the present.

It’s taken me a while and a lot of twists and turns to get here, but I’ve gradually adapted a lifestyle of taking each day as it comes. Of course, it’s not to say that I never plan anything anymore, but I’ve really lightened up in comparison to how I used to be. I don’t stress nearly as much over things that I used to and have little to no control over, because there is really no point. It’s amazing how much patience you really have within you when you are finally able to embrace inner peace.

Honestly when I look back, I actually wonder why I was so uptight over seemingly trivial matters. I have struggled with anxiety issues in general, but I would let virtually any hint of a problem eat me alive. It was a very unpleasant way to live. I just chalk it down to not having ‘seen the light’ yet. But that clarity only comes to you in hindsight, so that phase of my life had to happen in order for everything to come full circle, if that makes sense. That feeling of inner peace that finally comes over you and enables you to live a much freer, happier life, has to happen at the right time.

The definition of inner peace will be unique to each individual, but it is probably the most valuable thing you could want for yourself and in sustaining lasting happiness and fulfillment. I am thankful for finding that sense of peace and having the ability to embrace it. I am thankful for the people in my life that have contributed, in some form, to sustaining that sense of peace and I am thankful for realizing my passions and pursuing them to further encourage that feeling.

Thank you to ALL of you, for being you and for spreading your light in my life and in this world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for this year? Please share your stories of gratitude.