Wow! It’s been 3 years and a lot has changed. I wouldn’t say that I’m a different woman now, but I can say that I’ve matured. In the last 1,095 days I’ve: completed my undergraduate degree, received my masters, moved to Los Angeles, lost a parent, failed and succeeded at things I love, broken-up, made-up, made new friends and taken chances. One of the most important things I’ve done is identify the key elements in my journey: Family, Faith, Love and Life. As I’ve gotten older, my priorities have become much clearer. Family is and will always be super important. As far as faith is concerned, I’m not necessarily referring to religion. While it could be religion or spirituality or ideals, I’ve found that it’s helpful to have a set of values that serve as a guidepost and to believe in something. Love seems to be one of the things everyone is searching for. First for ourselves and then for someone else- although some of us need time to figure out the correct order. Ultimately, I’ve found that if all of those elements are in order for me, then Life is much better.

So now that the update is complete, it’s time for me to share, for the first time in a long time, something I’m thankful for: TIME. Recently my grandmother became ill. In one day she went from being a 90 year-old woman traveling through the mean streets of NYC solo, to completely losing her independence. This summer I spent 3 weeks with her, just keeping her company everyday. I quickly realized, how grateful I am for her, the knowledge she’s given me, and the TIME I’ve been allotted on this earth. Our time is brief and if we are lucky we will have the chance to impact someone’s life in the same way my Grandmother has impacted mine. You never know when your independence will be taken from you so make use of the time you have! DON’T WASTE TIME. Live and Love fully.

So it’s that time again… What are you thankful for?