Value

 

 

Helloooooooo!

So, the other day I was chatting with my boyfriend and we got into a deep political debate and ended discussing the education system with the United Kingdom and one thing led to another and we must seriously have been talking for like three hours non-stop with all our different opinions and beliefs about this topic. It is safe to say we were both very opinionated! Anyway, it was one of those conversations that you didn’t want to end because it was so intriguing an interesting. One thing led to another and eventually we began reflecting on our own time during secondary school which we haven’t really done before and somehow death, although I am not sure how this came up in the conversation except the fact we both lost people throughout our time at school. I think then we both had a sudden realisation of how much you take things for granted in your life and how sometimes you appreciate very little of what you have got.

For me personally I have never really ever taken people for granted because I experienced loss when I was very young when my Grandma and my Step-Grandad died when I was only very young (2). From then on, I realised that people were important and they weren’t going to stay in your life forever so it was important to love them and appreciate them whilst they are still with you because sadly you never what is around the corner or what could happen. I guess there have been moment for both my boyfriend and I where though you do take people for granted even not realising it. I know there have been numerous times where I have been too busy doing something to say bye to people or declined going out just assuming that I would get another chance to say bye or another chance to see them. It never occurred to me that it could be the last time. I guess in some aspects that’s nice because you don’t over think and stress or worry about every little thing, but in ways I really wish I had have lived like it might have been my last moment or opportunity. Maybe then I would have fully appreciated what I had been blessed with. As much as I don’t want to say it, one day it will be too late. One thing I remember is that my other Grandma died towards the end of 2015 and the last opportunity I had to say bye I didn’t really say bye properly because in my heart I thought there was another day. I suppose I didn’t want to believe in my heart it was happening and I didn’t want to accept the matter of the truth and that it was inevitable. Okay, I guess you know most people feel like going through losing someone but I could have said a proper bye and yet I didn’t. It was almost like I had taken for granted that I would get to see here again. Of course, I didn’t and now I wish I had made the most of that opportunity but who are you to know at that point. You don’t know that could be the last time or at least you don’t want to accept it. Anyway, point of the story is that is important to cherish people and your time spent together because nothing last forever.

Life is very a special gift and sadly it comes to an end. People come and go from your life and I believe that every single person that does come into your life has come in for a reason. However, you still shouldn’t take them for granted. Appreciate and respect people. Things don’t last forever. People change and grow apart and that’s okay, so appreciate what you have when you do.  You never know what life is going to throw at you and quite honestly, I am sure people are not going to stand for being unappreciated and not shown any appreciation.  It doesn’t take a lot to show a little appreciation and recognition for someone being around and helping you.

The are other things we too take for granted other than people and we don’t even realise it. We take the fact that we have an education, freedom of speech and opinion, water, food, electricity and all the amazing clothes and materialistic items we all own. We are so use to having all them that they have just become a norm. They are just a part of society and our daily lives. Yet we forget that not everyone it as fortunate as we are. Not everyone can afford designer clothes or clothes at all, not everyone can afford the nicest food- some don’t have food at all, every time we get a glass of water we take for granted to clean, fresh supply that we are getting to our houses when some don’t have that. We take for granted the luxury items when people don’t have the bare necessities and its’ wrong. We are all has guilty as one another for this. Having nice things is perfectly fine, who doesn’t like their nice expensive things? I would be being hypocritical if I said I wasn’t like that because I do like materialistic things, but it is important they aren’t everything. Whether you wear Levi’s jeans or Primark jeans it doesn’t matter. Without all these expensive items, we would still be happy.  Don’t let the media, the images you see on Instagram tell you any different. Of course, we like that but they aren’t the end of the world at all! They should be luxuries and they should be appreciated and special.  So, if your mum and dad or anyone has worked hard to afford you these nice expensive things, don’t take them for granted and let them know that you recognise their hard work and thank them for it! Value the important things.

This brings me on to valuing the most important thing – you and your life.  Let’s strip it all back. Take your life without all this great technology without makeup and any materialistic. What do you have? Your family, friends and yourself.  How important is it to respect and love yourself? VERY!!! It has taken me years to figure this out. Don’t let it take you that long. It was so sad the other night when we were chatting that we were reminiscing about school and one memory which stuck with me through all of them was how much I didn’t respect my myself and how much I took my body for granted. It’s so sad. As a teenager, you are far too busy trying to keep up with the media and with the ‘perfect’ yet very unattainable body image you forget that you have beautiful body and take that for granted. I am terribly guilty for this and I cannot believe how bad I was. I mean thank god, I did anything stupid and somehow, I always have that bit of sanity or will power which kept me from doing something which I would have regretted but even so I spent my time I hating my body because I wasn’t the size 6 supermodels that was on the all the covers of the magazines or that was all over Instagram. Okay, so I wasn’t size 6 and maybe my abs were completely flat, and my bum wasn’t perky and round, and I got the occasional spot and that my hair wasn’t really thick. So maybe I wasn’t slim and I didn’t have the perfect boobs or whatever it may have been, but I was healthy. I was healthy and I took that for granted. I had a healthy body and I was too busy concentrating on what I wasn’t when I looked in the mirror, I wasn’t concentrating on what I had. I spent so many years taking my healthy body for granted and that’s not only sad but it’s wrong. It is so fundamental wrong. I am sure there are people out there who unfortunately aren’t as fortunate who couldn’t have been happier with my body and yet I hated it. That’s so sad. I know I keep saying it, but it really is! It is so sad that I was made to feel that way about my body and just didn’t appreciate how truly lucky I was. I was healthy which is the most important thing and I took that for granted.  It really is so important to not take your body for granted because you get older and it doesn’t stay the same forever. Things change and unfortunately your health decreases so don’t that for granted whilst you have it! It is such an important to not take your body or yourself for granted and to respect yourself. It really is the best thing you could do for yourself is to look after yourself.

I guess you never appreciate what you have until it’s not there anymore but I am definitely going to make a more conscious effort to appreciate people, myself and things that I have more and not just expect things to always be the same because they most certainly won’t be. I am not going to have all the people that are in my life right now forever. I am not going to be as healthy and have the body I do now forever. I am not going to the life I have now forever. Things will change and maybe for the better but for right now I have to live in the moment and appreciate what I have got because I know I am so blessed and lucky. I need to make the most of everything I have, all the opportunities and experiences and all the amazing people who support me and my decisions. I just need to enjoy where I am right now!! I am so grateful, I really am because I know I am incredibly blessed already but that doesn’t mean I don’t have to show it every day or tell people I don’t appreciate them every day because I do! Life is beautiful but it is also a gift so I am going to definitely make more of effort to show extra appreciation for everything!

I am so thankful for all of you who read my blog too! Thank you so much! Your comments are always the sweetest and it’s so nice to have so many, lovely and genuine people who beautiful inside and out reading my blog. THANK YOU!! I hope you have found this post interesting and have enjoyed and as always much love always!!

Lizzie X