15 Things I'm Grateful For

Mama Mawer tagged me in a post where she posted about what she was grateful for, although I have been rather busy I now find myself with enough spare time to at least attempt to return to my blog and make time for it once again, so I'll bring back my blog with this post.

Here is a list of 15 things that I am grateful for:-

1. Apple

I am grateful for Apple and Steve Jobs' genius, both as a consumer and someone who is interested in technology. Apple has not always historically been known as one of the most successful and valuable technology companies in the world, but from my interest in technology I know full well how they have influenced the world of technology and changed how every single one of us live. Apple invented the mouse and the graphical user interface, giving easy to use computing to the general market. I began with an older iMac which was a joy to use, and in 2014 I now own a retina display MacBook Pro and a 5K iMac, which I would never have even believed to be possible 10 years ago, and they make it an absolute pleasure to be typing this right now. Not just that there is also the iPhone, which introduced the first multitouch display to the world and I have been proud to have owned every generation since the iPhone 2G debuted and created the smartphone market in 2007, I am now using an iPhone 6 which is an absolute pleasure to use for a multitude of tasks. Along with that is also my iPad, which I have also owned since joining university, and thanks to how productive and well refined they are I now use an iPad Air 2 which seriously makes amazing things possible, such as watching Netflix in the back of the car or working on an assignment in a cafe.

My trusty 2009 iMac, iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 - all make my life 100x easier!

2. Family

I am grateful to have a supporting family, and although we may not always get along and we have our fair share of arguments, I do not know what I would do without them. We have all been suffering the last few years, and I think if it wasn't for our support for each other we would not still be here. My father suffered heart failure in 2012 after years of misdiagnosis, and even now in 2014 it still seems like the NHS is failing him, such as him being the wrong medication the other day which would have killed him if he had taken it. With my support as a law student, and my mother as a social services worker, we have managed to stay strong together and tackle this head-on instead of being left to feel vulnerable and alone. We often do things together as a family, which I am grateful for, as not all of my friends seem to have such a close relationship with their relatives. Family meals, watching TV in the evening together, etc. are all things that I am grateful I am able to do, especially as two years ago we were told that we should expect for my father to no longer be with us.

Christmas 2012 - thankful that my father was able to spend it with us.

3. River & Consequences of Owning a Dog

I am grateful for my dog who, although has a lot of issues due to his background, makes my life so much better and is always there for me when I feel alone and upset. When I went to see him at the Border Collie Trust I instantly fell in love with him; he was such a timid and sad looking dog, probably due to suffering abuse as a stray from Ireland. Despite all this I saw how he took a liking to me when I took him for the initial walk around the centre, and now six months on he is now a healthy weight and wags his tail at the first sight of one of us entering the room. He is becoming a competent and lovely dog as a result of the work of the Trust's volunteer coordinator, Tina Holmes, who lives locally. 

As a result of River both me and my mother have become volunteers for the Trust and often attend agility shows and fundraising events as members of staff who assist with generating funds for the charity. This has been a lovely opportunity and has made me feel a better sense of importance about the work they do, and has also helped me to feel better about myself.

4. Intelligence

I am grateful for my intelligence, which I seem to have been passionate about since being failed and messed around by my school. I have always considered myself as an intelligent person, and when it came to those who were supposed to help you flourish with your abilities I found that this was not the case, therefore taking the initiative to do something about it. Years on I am now in my final year of an LLB - Law Degree, on good track to gaining a 2:1 overall. 

This links to my family; of whom my mother was a well respected senior manager across the entire of Derbyshire for the learning disabilities division of Derbyshire County Council, and my father, whom was a head of department throughout his career for both mathematics and information and community technology at Merrill Academy, Derby. My parents have always pushed me since a young age to try and reach my potential and become the best I can possibly be at what I do, and I really would like to think that I am achieving this.

5. My Perseverance

As with my intelligence, where I have persevered to get to the position I have today, I am also proud of my perseverance in general. I have suffered multiple mental illnesses throughout my life, but to this day I feel strong and in a much better position than I have previously. I have had thoughts of ending my life in the past, attempted suicide, self-harmed, and have been diagnosed with moderate social anxiety which has impacted every single thing I do and has made my life extremely difficult. I made the decision to begin phasing myself off medication about two months ago, and I am now in a position where I feel very positive and happy with the future and with myself at this current stage. 

I almost lost my father in 2012, had a car accident just a month after, had my mother go into hospital, lost my cat of 13 years less than a year later, all whilst being on medication for moderate to severe depression, but despite all of this I took every day as it came and got to the point where I started the slow process to a recovery. I had very little support from the NHS, who didn't seem interested apart from prescribing me a continual prescription of tablets, and also despite having support from parents, they did not have a complete understanding of how my depression and anxiety effected me.

I also persevered with my current course, I was originally not accepted onto the LPC due to a lack of UCAS points. Once I was accepted to the university on a different course I approached the School of Law & Criminology to ask for a chance to prove myself; I was given a task of completing an induction file that everyone else had two weeks to do in just 4 days! I succeeded and this secured my space of the LLB and has allowed me to continue to focus and be determined to succeed through the subsequent years in university.

A quote from one of my inspiration figures - Steve Jobs, CEO & Founder of Apple

6. Being Able to Drive & My Car

I am grateful for being able to drive and for being fortunate enough with having a car. I passed my driving test 6 months after my 17th birthday in 2011 and have been driving ever since, and it has made my life infinitely more easier from things as seeing friends, to commuting to university, and due to the fact I barely drink, as a taxi for my parents! I got my first car in 2011, a 2009 Ford Fiesta, then upgraded to a 2013 Fiesta in March 2013, and just a week ago upgraded to my first SUV, which is wonderful for feeling safe on the road due to the higher driving position, and also gives my dog a perfect car for having plenty of space to be comfortable in when going to the vet and going for a walk around the countryside. 

I know that not everyone, even if they are fortunate to afford driving lessons, can afford to even own a car with all the included additional funds need for tax, fuel, insurance, etc. so I am extremely grateful that I am able to.

On terms of my volunteering too, I'm also able to assist immensely with the fundraising due to the sheer size of the boot of my car, which allows more than 15 banana boxes of merchandise to fit when the backseats are folded up flat.

My new 2014 Ford EcoSport SUV, a wonderful 'little' car!

7. My Friends

I am grateful to have some wonderful friends, from teenagers up to people in their 40's. My friends are so supportive and make my life have meaning, there is nothing I look forward to more than seeing my friends! Although I often find myself busy with university, personal issues, and just generally attempting to relax without leaving the house, I cherish every moment I get to spend with those closest to me. My parents also know some lovely people, who I manage to get along with.

This blog post was nominated to me by one of the most loveliest bunch of people I have met - the Mawers. I met Tasha in 2011 and over the years we have become best friends, and through her I have met some lovely people - especially her family who are all such wonderful and lovely people. It is not uncommon in this world to see a lot of selfish and arrogant people, but when I met Tasha and got to know her family I instantly felt as though I had met people who make the world a better place. Knowing that I have friends like these make me so grateful and has made me feel a lot more positive about life as a whole.

Tasha, Kim, Alex, Kate, and Hannah - some of my lovely friends

8. Financial Position

I am extremely grateful to have been born into a rather well off upper-middle class family, which has an impact on a lot of the materialistic things I have listed in this blog post as having a significant benefit to my life. We are lucky enough to have access to a wide range of items due to the area in which we live and due to work my parents have done throughout their lifetime. Although we are not the richest family in the world, we do often spare as much money as possible to good causes, which I am extremely proud - from donating to help charities such as RSPCA, British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, to things such a buying a coffee for my friends or being able to give the items I replace to my friends at a fraction of the cost it would cost to buy from a retailer.

9. My Body

I am grateful to be physically fit and an overall healthy individual. I enjoy being active on a daily basis and working on getting in a fair amount of exercise on a daily basis, and this somewhat shows. I've started a balanced diet since the beginning of October 2014 to try and make sure I keep a healthy balance between fat intake, carbohydrates, and protein. As a result I feel very healthy and I am proud of my body. A few years ago I was underweight and felt really fragile, however now with the combination of exercise, weight training, and also eating a healthy amount of food daily, I feel very confident as a result and no longer feel like I am vulnerable and unable to do certain things due to being too weak. 

Working out and eating right has made me proud of the body I have today.

10. My House

I am grateful to live in a comfortable environment and have a moderately large house to call home. My room is my sanctuary of the house, and having refurbished it in 2012, I feel as though I have a safe an comfortable area that is just for me. My parents have spent many years improving the property and as a result we now have a very nice garden, comfortable living room, modern bathroom, and I have my own luxury feeling room that houses my computer, my smart TV and of course my wonderfully comfortable bed! 

My wonderful room - designed by me, and completed by my father in 2013.

11. The Internet

I am grateful for the Internet, and all of the capabilities it has created; connecting to new friends, keeping in contact with the ones that live locally or have moved away, finding new recipes for cooking, researching for assignments, making purchases from the comfort of my own home, and much, much more. Since I also own an iPhone and iPad I'm also able to take advantage of this wonderful technology literally anywhere I am; from the coffee shop, walking in the countryside, or even in the car (not whilst driving of course, strictly legally!).

12. Food

I am grateful to be living in a country which has a wide choice of cuisine available: Indian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, American, all of these are readily available by either going to the local supermarket or by visiting restaurants such as Frankie & Benny's, Wing Wah Chinese Buffet or the 50s American Diner.

I absolutely love food, although I focus on eating healthily a lot of the time, I enjoy being able to indulge with foods available such as authentic Italian pizzas and big American dishes served with a bucket load of proper American-style fried chips!

Good ol' Vanilla Float with a Chicken, Bacon and Cheese burger and curly fries - American 50s Style.

13. Nature

I am grateful for the world in which we live and specifically the nature we are surrounded by - from the trees we walk by and see swaying delicately in the breeze, to the many different species of animals that add life to the world. 

I love walking and every Friday I walk for an hour and half around Markeaton Park in Derby, this not only helps me to feel healthy physically by getting fresh air into my lungs and building on my lower body muscles, but also helps me mentally by making me feel at ease and relaxed by the green grass, the ducks, the trees and the flow of the water of the lake.

Derby is my comfort place, and it is my every intention to move to the city sometime within the not too distant future, and with Derbyshire offering a lot in terms of nature, as well as the Peak & Lake Districts being a relatively small drive away, I feel as though I live in a beautiful world where even the most natural locations can still be found in built up areas.

A mandarin drake - a rare sight of a beautiful duck spotted in Markeaton Park.

14. My Apperance

I'm grateful to be happy with my looks and with my appearance. I am happy with my body shape, my face and bone structure, and with myself as I am now. I have enhanced (in my opinion) my appearance as well with the addition of tattoos and piercing, I have had a half sleeve since last summer and I plan on having the other one done for my 21st birthday. I have had my nipples pierced for over a year now and they are my little babies, I love them! My snakebites have been a part of me since 2012 and I love them, they are like a part of me and although subtle I think they compliment my face nicely.

One of my most recent pictures, my purple fringe is as much a part of me as my snakebites!

15. Respect

Further to my previous point, regarding my friends and my university course, I am now in a position where I feel as though I am well respected. A few years ago I was surrounded by false friends and was in a school where only a handful of teachers put the effort in for me to achieve my best, where others simply had no time for me and didn't want to bother to push me to achieve my potential. 

This is completely different now, when I go and see my friends or make an appointment with a lecturer at university I feel as though I am well respected for all of my accomplishments, and I feel as though my lovely personality has made many people like me and look up to me. This is all I have ever really wanted, and as a result my confidence has increased twofold to what it once was.