Second to last day of my Gratefulness Challenge! Still so many things to talk about. How can I possibly choose? I sense a list of undiscussed items in my near future. I had a pretty crazy day and night last night so am lazily writing this post from the comfort of my bed. I think you can probably see as you read along how my post clearly reflects what I got up to in the past 24 hours: lots of laughter, lots of fun and perhaps not quite enough sleep.

1. My friends: I feel bad that my friends have had to be lumped into one gratefulness item. I have so many amazing people in my life who all really deserve their own place on the list. I’m really not sure how to talk about them all at once. I could have spent the month just writing about individual people who I am really grateful for, but alas there is only so much time.

Moving to a new city is always scary, especially when you honestly don’t know anyone. It has taken some time but now I my network of friends here is so strong. No matter what I need, there is someone I can call. It’s great to know that you have people who have your back.

I also have a great network of friends that don’t live in the same city as me. Some of these people I have known since birth. I am so happy that we have managed to keep in touch as well as we have. Even though I don’t talk to or see these friends as regularly their impact on my life is never ending.

My friends are also just really interesting people. They live really cool lives which I love hearing about and being a part of. They are true adventures. I constantly have friends who are travelling the world and starting new, exciting projects. It is so inspiring to be surrounded by such exciting individuals. I constantly feel driven to work even harder and push myself beyond my perceived limitations due the examples that my friends set and the encouragement they give me.

My friends are my family. Especially since I’m a single girl living far away from home, my friends mean so much more to me. I am so lucky that I always have someone to laugh or cry with whenever I need them. Whether we are off on great adventures or just lazily hanging out at home, I know that my friends will always succeed in bringing a smile to my face.

2. Medieval Times: I have mentioned before that one of the  ways I pay the bills is by wenching at Medieval Times. I have worked there for three years now and starting that job has honestly been a life changing experience for me. My first two year living in Toronto were great, but it didn’t fully start to feel like home until I started this job. Before that most of my friends were from school and also new to the city. We were all learning how to live here together, and we were also stuck on a campus that was very far out of the core of town. It was a limited experience of Toronto.

Medieval Times introduced me to such a variety of people, many who had been in Toronto for years, if not their whole lives. Working there really helped me get to know the city better and integrate into the community. It also gave me a built in social circle. You know those friends I just talked about? Many of them I met through working at Medieval Times. I don’t know how they do it, but this place attracts some of the most interesting individuals. We always say that our castle is a family. Most of us actually have other jobs but still stay because we just love the people we work with so much.

3. My bed: Before getting my current bed I spend two years sleeping on a rock hard, single bed. I think the floor would have been more comfortable. When I moved into my own room-mate-free apartment I decided that the thing I wanted the most was a really great be. I invested in a super comfy queen-size bed with a tall four poster metal frame. Pure heaven. It has unceremoniously been deemed the princess bed and I often joke that I might just need to be buried in it someday.

I think as a young adult a lot of the furniture you end up with is not very good quality stuff. You pretty much expect that it won’t last very long. Having a few pieces that you really love and that you know you will have for a long time is important. It helps make my house feel like a home. A good, comfortable night sleep is also something to be grateful for.