Thankful for the Year 2016

Since this is the holiday season, you may find more of posts tilted towards this season and close of the year. Not to worry, we’ll have more work related posts when the season is over and everything is back to being pretty usual. Sometime two years ago, I realized the importance of being thankful and grateful, including making a list of things you are thankful for.

The Short Story
I had come to a point where I felt everything wasn’t working out as planned, which isn’t quite uncommon as I have come to realize that that is how most humans are; we make plans, something else happens and we feel so disoriented.

Well, this was me sometime in the past and I totally forgot about every other thing that was working out fine, even better than I planned or ever presumed.

Thankfully, my family sat me down and once again reminded me of how important it is to see the good that has happened no matter how little and be grateful. Thanks, dad. Thanks, mom.

So this year, I have made the decision to think back from the beginning of the year and note all that I am thankful for. I should have done this in October when we had Thanksgiving here in Canada, but since I am very Nigerian, I thought this should be the best time or season to carry out this exercise.

For my non-Nigerian readers, most Nigerians have some sort of Thanksgiving at this time of the year particularly because it’s the end of the year, and they look forward to a brighter new year.

Anyway, I wanted to write this out explicitly. I started to think back and I want to make this a tradition. So irrespective of how weird, or funny what I write is, it is really something I am thankful for.

January
I didn’t die despite the winter *lol*. When I was about relocating to Canada, one of my fears was the weather. It was my first time in Canada and any other country I had visited was during summer. I heard a lot about the cold, but thankfully Ontario is not as cold as some other provinces. I  am thankful for the weather and I seem to love and enjoy the colder months now that I think of it. I love the weather and feel.

February
I am thankful for celebrating valentine. I had an amazing weekend filled with roller coaster rides, kart racing, food tasting, friends and loved ones, and lots of cold.

March
In March I started this blog: Zinny Factor. It’s one of my proudest achievements. I created a blog sometime in 2014 but I never published a post for several reasons -primarily indecision and some form of confusion. In March I was finally able to put my fears aside and do one of the things I love. It’s been a great platform for me and I have met amazing people like you!

Thanks for sticking with me.

April
In April I had the opportunity to intern at one of Canada’s finest organization. I learned a lot in my field and I made a wonderful friend as well.

May
Thankful for completing my course requirements and for the amazing people I met while in school. It was the beginning of a new phase for me.

June
In some way, June tried to be rough *haha*, but I am thankful for the peace I had. I was just calm all through despite the bumpy ride and every other thing seemed to work out fine eventually. I also hopped around several jobs in this month and it was a valuable experience for me because I was able to view and appreciate several workplace settings.

July
So thankful for the new business I started. This business means a lot to me because it’s something I enjoy doing and it’s lucrative although somewhat stressful. To think that I have never had a complaint from any client gladdens my heart, and some of them even refer me to their friends. I can’t wait to take this business to a whole new level in the nearest future.

Back in Nigeria, I started a shoe business but I had to relocate so the business had to fail at some point (although I should have had a long term plan). I am thankful because this new business has helped me meet some really lovely clients who have turned out to become friends. If you are wondering what business this is, I’ll explain in another post soon.

August
I got another job in this month and it was good meeting new people in a team that appreciates ethics. Also, the founder really inspires me in so many ways. I learned a lot in this month especially with regards to working and doing my personal business by the side. Generally, it was a beautiful month because I felt a bit relaxed.

September
I can’t necessarily remember so much that happened in the month of September, but I met some impressive people and I did a lot of food tasting and outings this month.

October
Thankful for so many things that happened in this month. First, it was my dad’s birthday and mine later in the month. I turned twenty-four -So much for being grown up! This year was really an experience for me, I became a full-fledged adult *haha*. I had to pay my rent, bills, think of what to eat, do a lot of planning, sort out my life and all, in a place without my family of orientation. I used to have support in one way or the other previously, but not anymore.

I have had to make a family of procreation and I am so happy for every one of them. I couldn’t have made it this far without their support, kind words, and guidance.

I got engaged to my best friend and longtime boyfriend in October as well. I also officially graduated this month even though we were done with school sometime in May.

November
I have two younger siblings I helped raise and I miss them so much. So when one of my clients urgently needed me to babysit her two kids (because she had no other person to turn to) I was happy to do so. As silly as this may seem, I am thankful for this. When I was back in Nigeria with my siblings, I would complain about how stressful they can be to handle. Apparently, you don’t know the value of what you have until you loose it. I miss their noise so much.

I also finally registered at the Toronto public library. When I was much younger, my mom was always reading for her masters asides the fact that she has a huge love for books. So she would take me along with her to the public library which wasn’t too far from our house, and I would go read my heart away at the children section. I didn’t realize how much I had missed this until recently. I finally got my library card in November; I had been procrastinating for so long. You need to have seen how thrilled I was that fateful day.

December
I am so thankful for my family (I have a large one and I’m big on family). I’m also thankful for birthdays of each one of them: past, present, or future. Also, I didn’t fall terribly ill compared to previous years so I’m thankful for good health all through the year. So thankful for the end of this year and I look forward to a beautiful year in 2017.

In all, I’m grateful for a wonderful year. Despite the tough times, I am thankful for the little things. I am so happy to have met you readers, I love you all and I enjoy reading your comments: suggestions or opinions. You all are amazing.

*This exercise was really relaxing for me, and I smiled all through while trying to remember events that happened in each month. You should try this out too, it’s refreshing.

I would love to hear from you. What are you thankful for? Even better, in what month? Please share below.

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