dear life;

Where I am today (photo from: destination360.com)

dear life;

though you have knocked me down several times this year and sent me into several tragic and traumatic situations, i still love you. this year, so far you have given me so, so much already (and its only june!!!). last year, you gave me the chance to travel and though things got rough for a few months following, you still managed to help me pick myself and put myself back together again. i value you more than you know. you gave me intense perspectives, through low and high moments- with children and old, sick and well, positive and negative. i cherish each and every person around me with every bone in my body now, and its because of you. whether someone has hurt me, whether i felt betrayed or cheated, whether or not they did anything at all... i am thankful for each one of them for many reasons. 

you have opened my eyes to realizing that children are my favorite to be around. in some way or another, these past few months have made me realize that i belong with young souls and i love to help them realize how awesome it is to be walking on this earth.  you have made me realized that there is nothing better than building a super comfy fort with your 9 year old friend with lanterns... and just snuggling up together to read good books and have giggle-fests before bed time. with that in mind, you have made me realize that there is nothing more comforting than human touch and being close with the people that you love the most.

you have made me realize that i must spend most of my time outside and this is one thing that i value most. i belong out in the open, breathing the fresh air this world provides, soaking up the warmness of the sun, or feeling the rain hit my cheeks, getting goosebumps from the breeze, feeling the dirt between my toes, smelling the forest after a monsoon rain. 

you have given me the coolest mother there is. she is my best friend in the whole wide world. we are partners in crime, we get into trouble together and we succeed together, too! i don't know what i could do without such a glorious woman in my life.

you have showed me that this world is nothing without music and art. we are all creative beings and we need to use these things to our fullest advantage. we need to cook, paint, dance and love. we need to create! we need to find our little niche in this world and realize that its okay to get wild sometimes!

lastly, you have showed me that my body is just a powerful tool to take me the places that i want to go, and do the things that i want to do. with this is mind, i need to take care of this body because you are only going to give me one... and there is still a lot to see and a lot to do!

you have given me so, so much. i am such a lucky person to be given so much. i have a supreme job that i absolutely love, i have great friends, i am talented in many ways, i have a wonderful family (and i truly mean this... my family is one of the coolest there is!), i have had so many experiences and if it weren't for you, i wouldn't have had the chance to do all of this! i think sometimes i forget how wonderful this world really can be, despite all of the negative aspects, but i promise i will start treating you better, life. you deserve it! and i will start treating myself better too :) so thanks life, i am so grateful to have you.

love,

allyce

(cheesy, yes... but it felt really good! try it!)