“Summer time and the living is easy” I love that line from the band Sublime. I am sure it originates from somewhere else, but Sublime introduced me to that phrase when I had just finished school and the living was easy.

That line has become somewhat of a motto for me, and every sunny day I appreciate the easy life I am living. My life is easy living, I have been extremely blessed and I have an abundance of time, resources and caring people in my life. In fact the past two years that Tania and I have been together have made my life feel even easier. It is not that I do not have stress or bad days, in fact the past two and a bit years have been some of my most testing, however through one simple little habit that we keep life feels easy for me.Every night before we eat we give gratitude for the things that we have. We do it all the time and even the children enthusiastically participate. You see, when we start being thankful for the blessings we have in life we tend to start focusing on them. The more we focus on something the more we are aware of it. When we are more aware of it we get to experience it more. So by simply giving gratitude to the blessings we have in life, life feels far easier.

Summer time is here, the sun is up at 04h30. Tania and I are out soon after 5 most mornings and we get to revel in the beauty and freedom out little town offers us. We appreciate the time we have together, we appreciate the fact that we live in a country that affords us a good standard of living. We are reminded daily about the struggles that the majority of our people face in this country and we give thanks for the blessings that allow us an easy life.

Tania and I choose to live an abundant life filled with love, adventure and personal growth. We do not always get it right and I especially have days where it all seems to fall apart. Yet even on the worst of days we are still able to sit around the dinner table and be grateful for the blessings we have. We have our health, our families and each other. We have our friends, our home and our careers. We have time to do the things we choose and we have an abundance of resources. We always have enough and we are blessed to have enough to share with others.

I challenge you, as we enter this holiday season, to be grateful. Love your partner deeply, cherish your family, give freely and be thankful for the blessings you have. It is a time for easy living, people are excited about finishing off the year, another chapter is closing and it is time to write a new story. Dream big, have fun, love freely and be ever grateful for the blessings that surround you. Tomorrow is a new day filled with endless possibilities, opportunities and much to be thankful for.