I don’t remember just when,  but, years ago, I began the ritual of expressing gratitude to the Universe before I began my day…

“Thank you, God, for everything and everybody I have in my life!”

Slowly and steadily, as I began realising the meaning behind those words, the depth in this simple prayer, I understood how blessed I have been! And, I don’t mean the materialistic things that I possess, but the people in my life, the kind of life I live, my health…the list is, actually, endless.

There were trying times, as there always are, but all through these, the attitude of gratitude stayed, unchanged. Those are  still the first and the last words I utter every day. But, as I begin each day, I realise how, had it not been for this attitude, I would have taken it all for granted!

We humans are an unsatisfied lot. That would be an understatement. We take for granted the life we have been blessed with, the people we have in our lives and the way our lives function. Most of the time, our’s is the attitude of, “I am a  self-made man/woman!” scarcely giving a moment’s thought to whether it’s really we who are the architects of our lives, our destinies.

We do realise this truth, though, when we come face to face with challenging times,  when life doesn’t co-operate with our plans and decides to go haywire! That’s when we realise the importance of what we have, as opposed to what we wish we had, and we learn to be grateful for it all!

A roof over our head.

Food on our table.

A family who dotes on us, and makes us a priority.

A happy and healthy family.

The love and blessings of our parents and our siblings, and the unconditional love of our friends, who go out of their way to help us, support us in every way they can.

The ability and the resources  to take care of the health concerns we/our family may face.

Everything that we need. 

A job that helps us buy things that we need, ( so what  if it’s not a great job, at least we are employed!)

A peaceful and happy environment to live in.

The freedom of choice.

Doctors we can put our trust in.

Teachers who help us make the right choices.

And, countless others who make our world a beautiful place.

Add to this list what you wish, but the list will always be endless!

Aren’t all the above things worth being grateful for? Just imagine how life would be had even one of the above been out of place. Maybe a sick family member with no good doctor to treat them. A child needing extra help in academics with no reliable teacher to assist him.

Or, worse.

Living in a place where the freedom to live your life the way you wish  is snatched away from you and you live by the norms set by some gun-totting, so-called “revolutionaries”.  Or, residing in a place that lacks basic amenities, or in a society that completely lacks any peace or order. You can guess the places I talk about here, isn’t it?  All you need to do is switch on the TV and look for world news, and you will be grateful for what you have been blessed with!

Being grateful when life is going smooth, is easy. But, staying grateful in spite of all that’s going wrong with your life, now, that’s difficult. Practicing gratitude precisely during such difficult times brings about enlightenment, and you cease taking for granted all that you have, all those you have.

It also helps keep us grounded and feeling fortunate that, though times are tough, we have the few things that would otherwise make a whole lot of difference by their absence!

Think about it.

Just writing this post makes me want to renew my Gratitude List!

Do you believe in the attitude of gratitude?

 

Like it, Pin it!

 

I am participating in the January 2018 Gratitude Circle blog hop, at Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles.

Do share your posts on Gratitude and join the linky!

 

Cookie  awaits eagerly for an opportunity to grab my skirt as I pass by his cage (he sits atop his cage, never inside it!). No sooner does he get a hold of me than he leaps off his cage and latches on to my skirt; rapidly climbing up all the way to my shoulders, he makes himself comfortable in his favourite spot.   I have gotten used to this behaviour of his and bask in the attention. Once he perches himself on my shoulder, he doesn’t  get off easily, even after much cajoling and I have no choice but to complete my chores carrying him around, wherever I go.

I enjoy it all, despite the fact that he keeps pecking at  my neck, or biting my fingers when I try to tickle him. Because, for me, it’s a blessing I don’t take for granted a single day. It took almost three months for us to bond, and for me, he is Chikoo, reincarnated – my pet dog, without whom I found myself incomplete. It makes me want to send a prayer of gratitude that my love came back to me.

 A prayer of thanks goes heavenwards for my new blog, which I created without much help. Of course, I had my bffs, who were my sounding boards, and my friend, Soniya, who helped me migrate from Blogger to WordPress, thereby taking a huge burden off my shoulders (Thank you, girls! Love you lots!).  But, the rest of it – creating my blog, researching and designing on WordPress for the very first time – got done  in spite of the nervousness I experience  for all things technological, and for that, I am grateful.

 I am very proud of my blog; it is my baby.  I know it will take some time for it to get the attention it deserves, but that’s okay. I am ready to wait. I decided right in the beginning to focus on the process of writing and creating, for there lies true happiness, and that’s just what I do,  I am grateful for the satisfaction it gives me. I now have so much to look forward to!

 

My life partner, who understands my passion and gives me the freedom to chase my dreams, is a blessing, indeed!  To have such a person in your life, who lets you be, who indulges your whims patiently, is such a wonderful feeling.  His encouragement and support are like the wind beneath my wings. I will be ever so grateful for having him in my life.

Festivals are special occasions when we get to meet our extended  family and spend some memorable moments with them. We celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi last week. My parents bring home a small idol of the elephant headed God for a day and a half and that’s when I have the pleasure of meeting my relatives, too. 

We reminisce about the carefree days of our childhood, share anecdotes, and try to relive those golden moments all over again – all the nostalgia  warms my heart. I am  grateful I am able to spend such wonderful moments with them all and revel in these joyous moments. A house full of people talking, laughing, eating together is a blessing, isn’t it? Oh, and the delectable goodies prepared by my mother and my aunts that we get to devour….ah, bliss!

August was a  month  of  nail-biting nervousness as I inched towards the goal I had set for myself. Of course, I am just on the first step of the ladder, but it is a step towards what I foresee for myself. The road to that future will be difficult, I know, but what I do know is that there is an energy that will always guide me through it all. Like it did as I faced the heartache I suffered after losing Chikoo  (even four months after his passing I miss him dearly) or looked for a goal in my life to keep my mind occupied;  or bonded with the new entrant in my life, and learnt valuable life lessons along the way.

Every night, before my head touches the pillow, I send a prayer of thanks heavenwards. A prayer of gratitude for all the loving people in my life, for everything that life has given me – the good and the not-so-good – and for making me the person I am. For the miracles that leave me stunned, to the unexpected gifts life showers on me when I  am busy asking for  something else.

We humans are an unsatisfied lot. For us, the grass is always greener on the other side. Seldom do we focus on our blessings. All that we have today might not have been ours, but how we take it for granted! All of that changes once we start focusing on what’s been served to us. A mere “Thank you”, is more than enough for the Supreme Energy which helps us sail through life, as well as for us to realise that what we have is enough for us.

Let’s count our lucky stars and look for the rainbows; life will be so much happier than we give it credit for!

 

*Image source: PIXABAY ,and my personal album. 

*********************************

Linking this post to the August 2017 Gratitude Circle Blog hop at Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles.

Do join in with your posts on gratitude and link them at Vidya Sury’s Collecting Smiles. And, do visit the others at the linky and share some love.