A moment of reflection

So as I sat at the wonderful Butterfly Space, receiving my first massage in Malawi, I took a moment to think about how lucky I am and all the things I am grateful for. Here I was sitting half way around the world from where I grew up, sitting next to a good friend Alice, cool drink in hand and watching the sun glistening on the lake.

So what am I grateful for?
- I'm grateful for my parents. They have given me every opportunity in life, supported me through college and held their tongues when I went off gallivanting around the world.
-My siblings. They can always bring me back down to earth with a bang but I know that we would all do anything for each other (so long as we don't ask Stephen too early in the morning)
- My extended family, aunts, uncles and cousins. They are always available for a laugh and a copious amounts of tea.
-My neighbours who are like family and who I know will welcome me home as such.
-I'm grateful that I grew up in a country where I was able to go to university without putting myself into debt, a country with a rich cultural heritage, a country that I will always call home.
-My friends. Wherever in the world I end up, there are friends who I feel like I'm never far from. Having had a friend utterly betray me, lie about me and make me regret ever knowing her, it has made me appreciate my true friends all the more.
-The opportunities I have been given. I have been lucky enough to travel the world and work with some amazing people. I've met people travelling and working who will be friends for life, people who I will make every effort cross oceans to meet again. Memories of sun rises over Machu Piccu, sunsets over Lake Malawi, leaping out of a plane and diving under the sea, climbing to the roof of Africa and spotting Simba on safari.

And lastly, I am grateful that I am in this beautiful country, with some amazing people, and while it's not always massages by the lake, those moments are memories I will forever treasure.

Quote for the day: "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures"- Thorton Wilder