You know the tradition.
With a lot of sighs, a few eye rolls, and questions like: "Can we do this after we eat?" I listened to some of my family members publicly proclaim what they were thankful for. The conversation shifted mid rotation and my opportunity to share never landed in my lap, of which is number one on my list of things I'm thankful for, but I promised myself that I would write and share my list of thankful thoughts. Writing, by the way, is the perfect anecdote for the artist that lives mainly in her own private thoughts.
I wholeheartedly agree that verbalizing what you are thankful for is very important for the speaker (writer) and the listener (reader) because it humbles all involved. If only for a millisecond life is placed into prospective and you are forced to recognize things or life occurrences that manifest by a power greater than ones self. You are forced to recognize GOD. Gratitude in practice is in a lot of ways a spiritual cleansing.
So here's my 2016 List of Thankful Thoughts:
MY FAMILY
I honestly could write an entire book about my family and the covering they've had over my life especially this year. I was one of these people who had convinced myself that I was more connected to people I called my family than my actual blood relatives. I love my family and am grateful for their presence in my life and pray that each of their lives are blessed abundantly.
MY (FR)AMILY
I have some of the most talented and beautiful friends walking the earth. I call them my (fr)amily. They are definitely prime examples of Black millennials who are paving the way for generations to come. I'm so proud of each of them and their accomplishments. I probably get more excited about their endeavors than they do. I am grateful for their consistency in friendship over these many years. My love for them will never waiver.
MY GODCHILDREN
Malik and Jordyn. ChiTown and DC. King and Ladybug. Two very important chapters of two very different times in my life. I had the privilege of watching Malik being born and even named him. I have the privilege now of watching Ladybug grow up. God has given me a gift through these two children. A gift I do not take for granted and as long as I am living I promise to be apart of their support system no matter where we are on the globe. I love them with all my heart and pray for their safety and prospering every day.
SoulFLY is definitely my baby. A company I am building from the ground up. I am so thankful for our success this year as well as the lessons. I am also grateful for the actors, filmmakers, writers, and directors I have built lasting relationships with all because I took a leap of faith and began to follow my dreams. Every moment is scary. Financially every dream followed is a major risk but if I die and didn't try did I ever truly live?
DISCOVERING SELF-CARE
Halfway through this year I really began to take this self-care thing seriously. I want a lot of things and if I'm not mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally prepared to handle the things I pray for then I know GOD will wait to bless me until I am. So I've begun to put in the work from small things like wiping the slate clean on social media to developing a prayer schedule. I'm grateful for how self care has changed the course of my life. I've also been doing the whole working out thing and though I hate it I am thankful for my devil trainer and his prison yard work out sessions. I am thankful for the 35+ pounds that are gone and thanking GOD in advance for the strength and endurance I am building through working out.
What's on your list of thankful thoughts?
