A brand new month, deserves a brand new tradition. Daily gratitude. My target is that at the end of each day, I will write 7 things I’m grateful for that day. On this Monday, I am a grateful for the following:

1. family – their love and support for chasing my dream to Australia has made the unknown less scary and 110% more exciting
2. dreams – last night in a dream, I was constantly being challenged in reaching a goal. It was constantly out of reach yet I still pursued it. No matter the situation in the dream, that goal was just right there!! When I woke up, I knew it was that dogged determination that I had in the dream that would and will carry me to Australia and make it a success. I recognize the obstacles that I face and though I have a sense of fear in not knowing and/or failing, I cannot and will not let that fear or those obstacles stop me from trying. I have failed if I don’t try and who wants to fail without trying and giving 110% of their all!
3. rainy days – yes they can be gloomy and dark, but most rainy days are the perfect days to relax, reset, and reflect and if you can’t relax, reset, and reflect, then grabbing a book and curling up on the couch with your fur baby (aka pet) is a perfect way to spend the day too.
4. cooking – I am far from being the best cook, but I enjoy the zen moments of cooking and usually the end result if it tastes good.
5. my love of space – I know the exact moment I fell in love with space. I was looking (it was beyond my reading capability at the time) through an issue of National Geographic and saw a two page photo of the Horsehead Nebula. I was fascinated and obsessed with that photo. It made me want to be an astronaut (the one dream I regret not pursuing). Space is vast and never ending and it’s where dreams are born and I am thankful I get to look up at the sky each night and marvel in its beauty. This quote from Doctor Who is a fantastic reminder of space: “This is one corner… of one country, in one continent, on one planet that’s a corner of a galaxy that’s a corner of a universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much, so much to see.”
   
6. writing – be it writing in my personal non online journal, this personal online journal, writing a novel, or writing something just to write. I am grateful for writing. It keeps me sane when I feel insane and it lets me escape when I need escape.
7. Nick da Dawg – this little fur ball has taught me patience and unconditional love. I am going to miss him more than he knows when I go to Australia and will probably cry the hardest over. He’s my best friend and my partner in crime.