It's Saturday, August 1st, 2020, and I received some great advice from a friend. She told me to take the time today to stop and take in everything around you and think about how much you have to be grateful for. I didn't take it THAT seriously until I did just what she said and wrote it all done, then I felt like a completely different person.

So, here's what right now looks like for me.

I'm sitting in Wonderland Lake Park in north of Boulder, CO. It is 11:00am and the sun is shining. As I lay in the middle of a grass field on my gray beach towel, my fingers are flying over my keyboard to document everything within a 360 degree view. Directly in front of me is Wonderland Lake, and there is a few people fishing on the shore. When I look to my right, there is a line of beautiful condos that all look quite similar. Now to my left, there are three paragliders cascading their way down and through the mountains to a safe landing. Lastly, directly behind me sits the outskirts of the Rocky Mountains. If you look closely enough, there are what look like black dots in the mountain, but what are actually mansions up close.

It's one thing to know and take note of your surroundings, but it's another thing to comprehend them.

By doing this, I realize how lucky and thankful I am to be here. I'm sure that are many people who wish they could be sitting here in such a beautiful place, enjoying the sunshine...especially during a worldwide pandemic.

Often, people are on autopilot. They just go through the motions from day to night. This doesn't meant that these people aren't enjoying life, but I think it's important to slow down sometimes and make sure you are actively participating. Not to mention, these good days will outweigh the bad days. You will be able to look back at this moment in time and realize that your life isn't that bad. In fact, it'll make you realize that you should have zero complaints, because things can always be worse.

So, here's a reminder to never take things for granted and enjoy each moment.