Thankful for me!

I have been doing a lot of thinking (as I always do this time of year) in regards to what I am most thankful for. I say time and again that I am so blessed to have my wonderful family and friends (and I hope they know it)!!! This year I think about the point I have reached in my life, and I realize I am thankful for the relationship I have with myself!  YES!  This year I am thankful for the relationship I have with myself!  Now this may sound odd, but a long time ago I decided that I was in competition with nobody, but myself, to be the best person I could be.  "Best" defined as friend, loving, caring, patient, compassionate, giving, observer, learner, ethical...  Knowing ME better than anyone else, I know myself at my best and worst, and began to practice a life based upon these characteristics I wanted to shine up and share with others.  "Practice" is the key word  because I have hit many a road block, obstacle or challenge on my journey.  On many occasions I have rose to the challenge with my spirit rallying beside me, but there have been many bumps in which I have slipped and fell right on down with spirit bruised and shattered.  Looking back though, I can't remember a time when I didn't take the faith I had in myself and decide that you can look at life as a glass half full or a glass half empty.  I choose full.  I know if I hit an obstacle on my life journey that I just have to stop and re-route.  It may not be easy, but experience has taught me it will be worth it.  Grouch Marx said:  "Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."


Listen, I am not preaching that everyday I can wake up and play Little Miss Sunshine, but more days than not I understand that the decision to be happy lies within me, and will bring me closer to the "best" Eliana I can be.  What's that saying about its not the end destination, its the journey?  Well, I am living and breathing it, and proud of it...Proud of all the woman out there who believe in themselves above all else, because if you learn to to care for yourself and be HAPPY, the most amazing gift you can give is to share yourself with others.  So I'm going to keep being the best me I can be, and I am thankful for every moment that teaches me a new lesson, every slip that makes me stronger, and every smile I get for a smile I give out.  Oprah said this great thing, and this is what I will leave you with:


"I am a woman in process. I'm just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull."   --  Oprah WinfreyBe thankful for you!  Your relationship with yourself may be the most important one you have!
xoxo, Eliana