Happy Canadian Thanksgiving – What I’m thankful for…

I have been in Canada for the better part of 12, almost 13 years (with a few years in Europe and Mexico here and there, but basically, I set foot in Canadian soil over a decade ago). The significance of Thanksgiving in Canada is a bit different to that of the United States (we don’t have Thanksgiving in Mexico, or any other Latin American country for that matter).

photo credit: juhoang0309

So, what is Raul thankful for?

I am good at saying thanks to my friends and family and in general, to anybody who has been kind and generous to me, but let’s take a quick stab at what I’m thankful for.

I’m thankful for the life I have. It’s challenging, at times, trying to balance research with client work, with community service and with social media in general, but I’m thankful that it’s so intense.

I’m thankful for being complete. I don’t need anyone else to complete me, I’m complete as I am. I am thankful that I like myself and enjoy my own company.

And I am thankful that I’m in one piece, despite having had migraines for a long while and lately, a bout of painful blisters.

I’m thankful for the friends I have, the new friends who have come into my life and the possibilities for new friendships. I am delighted that social media has enabled me to make new acquaintances and that our lives have become so intertwined that we no longer have a differentiation on whether they are social media or non-techie friends.

I am thankful (in spades, seriously) for the family I have. I’ve always been loved and supported by my brothers, my Mom and Dad, my cousins, uncles, aunties and our extended families. I am who I am in a large part because of where I come from, and the family I am privileged to be part of.

I am thankful for being able to do what I love on an everyday basis. I love teaching, I love doing research, I love doing client work and consulting, I love socializing and I do this 7 days a week. I have finally managed to begin to strike a balance between my environmental work, my social media work, my teaching and my research. And yet, I still have time for my friends.

I am thankful that my future looks bright and that I wake up every day with a goal and purpose. I am thankful that I can put food on the table and have a roof above me and sleep sound at night because I have done my very best, every single day.

And, last but not least, I am thankful that the people who read my blog find it entertaining, that they share their viewpoints and engage in conversation with me. I am thankful that the people who follow me on Twitter find my little tidbits interesting. I am thankful that social media opened up myriad ways in which I can now express and communicate with people.

For those and many more reasons, I am thankful. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!

Related posts:

1. Happy American Thanksgiving!
2. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone
3. Canadian Thanksgiving
4. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving
5. Oh Canada! Happy Birthday :)