In case you live here, and it slipped your mind for just a second, please allow me to remind you how lucky we all are…

WE LIVE IN PARADISE!

We don’t have to book a plane ticket to enjoy a gorgeous beach, or endure months of snow before feeling the sun on our skin.
A barbeque with the family can happen any other weekend, and we never have to take a jacket anywhere.

I think as a society we tend to forget how blessed we are, how great Curaçao really is, and all the thousands of little things we take for granted on a daily basis.

My cousins are here on vacation from Holland, and over the weekend I spent some quality time with them.
They both brought their girlfriends along and hearing them marvel at the little things really made me think…

“Really? Parking is free here too?!”

“The food servings are so big here!”

“You speak Spanish too?!….wait….FOUR LANGUAGES?!”

We can get so hung up on complaining about crap, we tend to overlook what is right at our fingertips, right outside our windows, or just a boat trip away.

Speaking of which…. I took a trip to Klein Curaçao and for the first time in my life I went snorkling.

Yes. First time in my life. Judge me later boo, keep reading.

After having accidentally swallowed a mouthful of saltwater because I got just a lil’ too excited after spotting a sea turtle, I remembered  how to breathe and allowed myself to enjoy something that people in other countries would have to save up months, if not years, to be able to experience.

That hashtag “ILiveWhereYouVacation” is more than just something we can smack under a beach selfie, it’s the truth.
A somewhat conceited one, but a truth none the less, yet we have the audacity to complain about things that others would see as a step up in their countries.

For every single complaint we have, there is an upside we aren’t noticing, and a few sad, shocking, or downright heartbreaking hashtags out there we are lucky aren’t in reference to our lives:

#BringBackOurGirls #BlackLivesMatter #PrayForVenezuela

Over the same weekend that I fell in love all over again with my island, many lifted their voices complaining about the lack of activities on Flag day, how disrespectful it was to hand out the free North Sea Jazz tickets on that day, and how the flag wasn’t present enough in the community.

Meanwhile out there in the world there are countries whose flags get burned purely out of hate.

Talk about #FirstWorldProblems

There is plenty of room for improvement, that is true.

But there is more than enough room, and plenty of reasons, for some pride and gratitude.

#YDK