I have no idea why I haven’t shared this earlier, but let´s go.

Two years ago, I got myself a birthday; attend a workshop with my favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert.

The way that impacted my is wild, but one of the exercises that truly made a paradigm shift in my life was this:

We had to write down all the things we were grateful for, but had no say in - no influence in them happening.

So here are some things from my list:

• That the water in the Greek ocean is so clean that I can see plants and rocks in the water.
• The fact that I was born in Norway — a country with more privilege than most.
• The fact that my friends’ parents had sex, so that I got the friends I got.
• The fact that books exist.
• The fact that someone invented the guitar, piano, and violins, and people make music.
• The fact that someone invented dancing — my greatest addiction in this life.
• The way coffee smells.
• The fact that Steve Jobs invented the iPhone, and now I get to connect with my friends who are in Italy, Latvia, London, and the US.
• The fact that my mom went to Greece instead of getting into medical school, so that she met my dad at a disco — and I was born and got the greatest gift of all: life.

Honestly, the list goes on and on and on.

But the reason I love this is that I think I, and many others, try to control life because we think we have to — in order to experience the beauty in the world.

But that’s not true.

In fact, this made me realize that the things I’m most grateful for — I have no say, influence, or control of them coming into existence.

The greatest gifts in this world weren’t made by me;

they just came to me

— and for that, I’m eternally grateful (and a little bit more relaxed).

/Sara < 3