Things I'm Thankful For | Blogmas Day 14

Christmas is getting closer every day and so are my deadlines. I managed to finish 2 out of the 3 the day I'm writing this (yesterday for you) and I can't wait to just get the other one out of the way. Once I've done that and handed them in, it's full on christmas mode for me! I've not really been in the christmas spirit so far as I've been to stressed to think about much else. But as the end of term comes to a close I have been reflecting over the year, so I thought it would be nice to have a recap and to list all the things I'm thankful for this christmas.

• Working hard. The first quarter of 2016 entailed me working stupid amounts of hours in order to earn enough money to travel. I got hired by a camp in Jan and from then on all of my time went in to planning that summer. I worked as many hours as I could whilst still making time to sleep and even though it sounds odd I am thankful for this. If I didn't put that effort in I would never have been able to go on the trip that turned out to be one of the best and most impactful of my life.
• Pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Going to camp was actually pretty scary. I had so many second thoughts about being stuck on the other side of the ocean with no one I knew. I had never travelled that far alone before and I didn't quite know if I was able to look after myself, let alone dozens of children! But I did it and I would never look back. You can read all my travel posts to hear more on this.
• Being able to travel. I think this is what I feel most blessed for alongside the people I met along the way. I saw some of the most incredible sights, visited the most interesting and fun places. I made so many amazing memories and if I could relive any part of this year it would be my 3 months in America.
• Meeting the most amazing people. As I've mentioned before this year has been one for meeting new people. Both in America and at uni I have been so amazed at the people I have met. People from all over the world, from different backgrounds. I have learnt so much this year about others and through this about myself and I am so thankful for everyone who has come into my life this year.
• Becoming more comfortable with myself. It obvious enough from the way I talk about it but camp was one hell of a wake up call for me. I met so many like-minded people who brought out the best in me. Acting like a kid made me realise that I didn't have to take myself so seriously and that it's ok not to have your life together, hell it's sometimes even fun to not have a clue what your doing!
• My family. Distance definitely does make the heart grow fonder, but this case it's for my family. Having lived so close to them my whole life and having them at the other end of the phone whenever I needed them, I didn't quite realise how much I relied on them. Especially my mum. But being in different time zones and being completely alone at some points made me realise how much I truly am thankful for my family, and how I couldn't really do without them.
• My friends. By this I mean new and old. I've spoken a lot about people who have newly come into my life and I have so much love for them, I do. But I am truly so thankful for those friends who have been around a while longer. Those ones who still make the effort to call or text and who have been there from the very beginning. Theres nothing like a friend who knows you inside out.
• Having a break. Since being at uni I haven't had a job. I know technically uni is a lot of work and it is, doing an English degree involves so much reading which is evidently time consuming. But this is the first extended period of my life since I was 12/13 that I haven't had a full on job. And can I tell you it has been glorious! It was much needed and I'm thankful that I got to settle in to uni life without that added pressure. However due to lack of funds and big adventurous ambitions, this is short lived and I will be looking for one when I get back to uni after christmas.
• Following my plan. Uni was always my plan. From as young as I can remember knowing about uni, it was what I was going to do. I am so glad I followed through, I have met some amazing people and I love learning in such a different atmosphere to school and college.
• Moving out. Finding my feet and having my own space at uni has been great for me! There comes a time when, although convenient and cheaper, living with your parents becomes a bit like being stuck in a rut. I think moving out is so necessary in finding out who you are as a person (cliché I know).
• Taking a Gap Year. I fully believe that I was no where near ready to go to uni lat September. If I had gone I think I would have had a meltdown. Coming out of the stress of A-levels and the constant machine of the education system for 12 or so years, uni was not what I needed. I wholeheartedly recommend taking a gap year to anyone who isn't sure about their next step. 

This post turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated but I guess overall, 2016 has been an crazy year. In terms of the world, I couldn't be more ready to leave 2016 behind, but I do think that looking back, personally, it's been pretty decent. There's been ups and downs, but I obviously have a lot to be thankful for! 

I hope you're all having a lovely day! Feel free to let me know what you've been thankful for in the comments.

Love, Beth xo