Here’s to Gratitude and the Preciousness of Life

BY SARA ARIPPOL

Gratitude is something we often read about in books or hear discussed in podcasts. A concept praised deeply in Eastern philosophies, one we admire, reference, and aspire to practice more of.  

And yet, we don’t always pause long enough to really live it.  

This piece isn’t about silk, or scarves, or even TAMARA. It’s about gratitude, and the awareness of how lucky I am. About the things I often move past too quickly, but that stay with me when I stop and look back. 

Here’s to my family. For 24 years and counting, I’ve had the incredible privilege of being raised in a home overflowing with love (and plenty of complaints too, but always in the name of wanting the very best for me). I was given guidance, protection, and unwavering belief in me. I was shaped by a blend of cultures that has made me who I am today. My father, who complains endlessly, does so only because he wants nothing but the very best for me; his high standards are his way of loving fiercely. And my mother... she shows up for me without hesitation, ready to help, to listen, to teach me... 

Here’s to my home (or rather, homes). I’m lucky enough to have multiple... What they say is true: home isn’t a place at all; it’s a feeling, and I like to think it’s safety. I feel safe across three different sets of four walls. In different countries, different rooms, with different people... Thank you.  

Here’s to my other family, sometimes referred to as friends, even though we all know they’re far more than that. The ones who stay, who show up, who witness your growth and your chaos and love you through both. The ones who feel like history and the future all at once. Blood couldn’t make us closer. I am so, so grateful. 

Here’s to the food I eat, and the privilege of being able to cook, to create, to nourish, to gather people around a table. To love cooking and to cook with love. I can’t explain it...  

Here’s to traveling, to boarding planes with a full heart, an open mind. To discovering new streets, new flavors, new versions of myself in unfamiliar places. 

Here’s to writing and reading; to losing myself in words and finding myself in them too. To pages that hold comfort, clarity, and courage (and sometimes confusion, because even that helps shape us).  

Here’s to dancing in the kitchen and singing in the shower. Actually... anywhere... it doesn’t really matter... 

Here’s to spontaneity, to last-minute plans, unexpected adventures, and saying “yes” just to see where it leads. But also... here’s to organizing every little thing, to color-coded calendars, tidy corners, and the satisfaction of bringing order to chaos. 

Here’s to being both the dreamer and the planner. The free spirit and the perfectionist. The one who jumps and the one who prepares for landing. 

Here’s to love. Love for people. For life. For the little things. For resilience. For pushing through when it would be easier not to. 

And here’s to life; for all of it. The messy, the beautiful, the uncertain, the extraordinary. 

Thank you.  

Con amore,  
Sara, Founder
TAMARA