six things

so Cathal's mammy, the very wonderful Sylvaine, tagged me in her blog (see link on right hand side) to name six things that i can be happy about in my life, so here goes:

my independence
it means so much to me to be able to do my own thing in my life. i'm not a loner but i do like to have the power and the support to be my own person. there was a time when i wasn't. but those days are long gone!

my family
having lived with close to 40 people in houseshares over the last few years, it's always so nice to be able to come home. my folks are the most quietly inspirational people i know. i love them with all my heart. they tell it like it is and never stop giving. and my brother and sister are two of the funniest, cleverest, most annoying people i've ever met!

my boyfriend
wow, nothing short of amazing. i ask a lot of him sometimes but he never stops giving. and to have his support now in what i'm doing just makes everything so much easier. i wish i could write more but it would only end up being an understatement.

Viet Nam
right now, having been here for almost 12 weeks, i feel like i've learned so much. i've gained so much. honestly, i don't know how much i've given but i do know what i've gotten out of it. made some of the most amazing friends, met some truly inspirational people, had a chance to explore and develop skills i never even knew i had. and, a greater appreciation for what i have in my life already.

friends
to those of you who have kept in touch, kept me up to date on home, kept track of my stupid ramblings. to those of you i've met thus far on the road, thank you, thank you, thank you.

my education
this is something i've always appreciated but only lately begun to really understand the true value of. for one thing, without it, i would never have been able to make the money i needed to take this trip. one of the girls in our street kids class here in Tuy Hoa is 22. she can't read or write properly, or even draw a picture. life could always be worse but it could often be a lot better for some....

please feel free to add your own six things here as a comment if you feel like it..i'd like to hear 'em