I know that this is a travel blog, but it didn’t seem right to not acknowledge the people in my life who have given me this opportunity and led me to this experience and what better day to do it than Thanksgiving (sorry for anyone who may not celebrate it).

Where to start? I mean, how do you start when you have so many things to be thankful for? I could go on and on about how grateful I am for the things I have, but for this post, I think I’ll focus on the experiences I’ve had and WHO I have in my life rather than WHAT.

It’s easiest to start with my experiences. I’ve had so many on this ship and voyage. We’re not finished with the Voyage of Discovery and yet I can confidently say that that’s exactly what this has been. Now, like everyone, there’s still many things I’m uncertain about for my life and future but isn’t that one of the beautiful parts of life, the unknown. Scary? Yes, but so fulfilling because you can turn it into anything. Plus, with the unknown comes discovery.

I’ve had plenty of run-ins with uncertainty over the last three months. I can start with a simple one, my future. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, turns out I don’t. But guess what? That’s okay, most people, whether two or ninety-two, don’t know what they want to do with their lives. At first, I was so scared, so stressed that I had no direction at the moment, but here’s what I’ve realized. There is always a direction, forward, and you don’t have to know where that is going to lead you, but you just have to be willing to follow it because eventually, you will find what you’re looking for. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I haven’t been focusing on what I don’t know, but rather what I do. I’ve been focusing more on finding myself rather than finding a career, because I know the more I find myself, the more I can use that to find my future. I still don’t know what major path I’m going to take, but it’s an adventure. I can try things I never would’ve before. I’ve realized on this ship that I miss math (a lot), so I’m going to focus on that aspect of myself as I go forward.

I’m grateful for all the experiences that have pushed me out of my comfort zone. Semester at Sea is an experience that puts most people out of their comfort zone between traveling through different countries and adapting to an entirely different lifestyle with brand new people. I have met more people from all over that country and world than I could’ve ever imagined. It’s not easy, at least it wasn’t for me, to be put into such a confined space with people you don’t know. It was uncomfortable at first to go up to people and sit and just introduce myself, but through this experience, not only am I more comfortable meeting people, but I have also learned the value of real connection. I’m grateful for all the different kinds of people I’ve met; the crazy, the mellow, the athletic, the intelligent, all of them, because that’s what makes up this community and I’ve been shown more sides of life than I ever could have imagined. But I’m not only thankful for the people on this ship I’ve met, no, I’m also thankful for the people in countries I’ve met who have been insanely friendly and open. All in all, I’m just grateful for where new adventures these connections could lead me.

But now to get to what I actually wanted to say in this post. I’m grateful for the people back home in my life who have made me who I am today and have helped me get here.

To start, there’s my hometown friends. The friends who shaped me growing up and allowed me to express myself when I didn’t really know who I was. The friends who have seen me at my worst the most.

To my girls back home, we’ve always had some crazy times together and it’s always a good time on the rare occasion we can all meet up. But more than that, I know if I were to have a problem, I could go to any of you for coffee date and advice and I so much love having you all in my life.

To my boys back home, there’s about ten of you and you know who you are, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you all. You’re just more brothers I never could’ve fathomed being lucky enough to have. You keep life interesting, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

To my best friend, you know I love you, even if we haven’t been able to talk much lately. You’ve always had my back and called me out when I’m in the wrong. You found me in a hard time, and it was truly a blessing. You’re my other half.

To my college fam, I don’t even know what to say to ya’ll except that you guys truly are a second family to me. Even though there’s not always a lot to do at school, we still manage to have fun and make perfect memories.

To my sorority sisters, well I miss you guys, but we’re about to being seeing a whole lot of each other real soon and I’m a bit terrified, but excited to get to hang out with ya’ll more.

To my Big, gosh I miss you so much, you’re the big sister I never knew I wanted. I know I stress you out all the time, but I don’t think either of us would want it any other way. Can’t wait to bother you all next semester.

To my grandparents, although my time is unequally split between all of you, I am equally grateful for all the memories I have and to be able to say I’m related to you. You’ve taught me and experienced so much with me. I love you all so much. And to Grandma J, I’m so glad to share the experiences with you that you weren’t able to do as much with my dad, such as dress shopping (LOL).

To my brother, you mean the WORLD to me. You are my rock and where I find strength. You have to be the nicest person I’ve ever met, and I bet most of our mutual friends could back that. Even though I come in around number three on your list, you are my favorite person because you have always been there for me. I love you 3000.

And last, but by no means least, my parents. Where would I be without you? Although, I was a little disappointed by your engagement story (you know this), I think that’s the only time I could’ve ever come close to being disappointed by you. Even though we’ve had our quarrels and times of not seeing eye to eye, there’s no way I would change anything. You guys have shaped me into the person I am today and helped me to thrive in the world around me. You guys are the best parents and you have given me everything I could’ve ever needed and wanted and more. I love you guys so much.

This post only sums up a little of what I think about hose that mean the most to me. In the end, I’m grateful for so much more, such as solid shelter, freedom of speech, good nutrition, health, and education, and a loving community of people around me. I could go on and on, but I’m going to cap it at that.

So, in the end, all I can say is that it’s very easy to focus on when things go wrong, but I’m working on looking at what’s going right in life. There are some steps that I’ve been working on taking to improve myself:

• 1 hour of exercise
• 2 liters of water
• 3 cups of tea (this one’s hard because I have to pay for tea and I’ve already spent a small fortune)
• 4 colors on the plate
• 5 minutes of meditation
• 6 songs that motivate you (so many more, but here’s six)
  • Don’t Get Better Than That by LOCASH
  • Every Girl in This Town by Trisha Yearwood
  • Good Life by G-Easy & Kehlani (The Fate of the Furious)
  • I Have a Dream from Mamma Mia (Amanda Seyfried or Lily James)
  • Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson
  • Wings of an Angel by Lauren Alaina (Forever My Girl)
• 7 minutes of laughter
• 8 hours of sleep
• 9 pages of a book (also hard because I didn’t bring an books)
• 10 reasons to be thankful

So, to end, here are my ten reasons to be thankful:

• A perfectly imperfect family
• True friendship
• The ability to travel
• A great education
• The successes and failures in my life
• All four seasons
• The night skies
• A beautiful Earth to live on
• A whole life of time
• And infinite amounts of possibilities…

With Bated Breath, Abby Lynn