A while back, I sat down with a friend and chatted about our lives. At some point in the conversation I said, "2013 was a bad year, but 2014 was even worse."

I meant that. 2014 seems to not have delivered what it promised in back on the first day of January. 2014 feels like an emotional rollercoaster with many downhill's. Not many of the dreams I hoped for were realized.

Life can be hard. After sunshine comes rain and after rain comes sunshine. And to be fair often there is rain, sun, snow and a whole lot of different weather fronts moving through our lives at the same time.

A couple of weeks ago, I hit rock bottom. I lost sight of the purpose of living.

Sometimes we need to be in a dark place to see the stars. (Tweet This)

Being in a very dark place allowed me to see what I was grateful for this year.

Hubble Space Telescope image of nebula M1-67 around Wolf–Rayet star WR 124.

Here are some of the highlights:
I got to tick the I-want-to-speak-at-a-wedding-service off my bucket list. Thanks to Martin and Gabi Doyle in the UK! What an epic day!
I got my first individual sports award. Who says you are too old to follow some of your more crazy dreams?
I realize I need help in life and I found some. This might be my next blog post...
I finally started my own business.

On top of those there are the 'normal' ones, the ones I take for granted. I have an awesome family, saw sunsets, travelled overseas, had incredible meetings with all kinds of people, slept on the streets with the homeless, slept in a house, read incredible books, walked the dog, bought sheep that produced baby lambs...

It has been a year of growth and self discovery.
"We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought."  - Anonymous (Tweet This)

What are you grateful for?


For those who are really in a dark place. Remember, there are some small things worth living for and saying thank you for. Life is as it is, but it isn't just all bad. It is a story to be lived. In every story there are hardships and difficult times so the good times are even more appreciated. 

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