There’s always, always, always something to be grateful for! No matter what life situation we’re facing, there’s always the silver lining. And there is no therapy like gratitude therapy, eh?
Here’s my list of happy this week…
Gratitude for…
- Campus. My son joined college on August 1 at IISER Mohali and it was delightful to spend a couple of weeks on the campus, staying at the guest house there. It is a beautiful campus and kind of a mini-vacation for me, although I got a lot more done in the mornings, thanks to the quiet than I’d ever achieve at home. But hey, I love the distractions!
- Son adjusting at his new place. I am deeply grateful that he has the right mindset and is making a real effort to settle down to his new routine, bless him.
- Kind people. Oh they are everywhere. Kindness begets kindness. The folks at the guest house were so very hospitable, serving delicious food and hovering over us all the time. They always had a smile and something nice to say to me. My son claims it is because I am like that too – but hey, there is no guarantee of this in life. So it was a real treat.
- Good food. Have to mention it separately. The love with which the food was served at the guest house, besides making me overeat sometimes, warmed my heart. Then, after I returned home, I continue to be grateful for the healthy food I eat every day. It is crazy to cook and not sit and eat with my son, and that often brings on the tears, but good memories and the joking on the phone keep me going.
- Internet. Oh, I experienced what it means to be offline when the wi fi connection went off. Sometimes it was stressful, when we had to do something online, but at other times, we barely missed it. I mean, given the choice of watching a peacock strolling on the lawn and freaking out over not being able to connect to a website, what would you choose? Right. I thought so. Whatever it is.
- Nature. The best. During my stay at my son’s institute campus, I thoroughly enjoyed my closeness with nature. There is a lot of wilderness across the 125 acre campus and this means a number of varieties of rare birds. You’ll know what I mean when I say peacocks, egrets, herons, starlings, lapwings, hoopoes, swallows, kites and at least another 50 species are common. I would get so excited when a peacock calmly crossed my path! Absolutely enthralling.
- Reading. Books. I am always grateful for this. Thanks to NetGalley, I have a steady supply of excellent books. I spent a lot of time indulging in catching up with my ever-growing must-read book list.
- I learned a new way to mop from the person who cleaned our rooms at the guest house. Very clever, I thought. He just wrapped a wet cloth around a regular squeegee mop and in 5 minutes, was done mopping the room! I learn something new every day!
- What’s better than finding a wonderful human being and a fab writer? Not much. Meet Vince.
- A fun evening out with blogger friends. We actually won a group selfie contest!
- Bonding with neighbors and watching their kids play. So much joy. The best music is children’s laughter.
- My bank relationship manager’s kindness and patience, helping me file my taxes. Phew!
- Attending a neighbor’s daughter’s wedding and meeting a lot of old friends who’ve moved out of our building. So nice to catch up. And yes, I even wore a saree for the occasion and loved it.
- Getting back in touch with a bunch of school mates. Whatsapp rocks, really!
- Enjoying the purging and cleaning. It is a long and winding road to the Holy Grail that’s the finish line, but I am going to enjoy every inch of the journey, getting there. Especially if I keep stumbling on his sketches and drawing all the time!
- Friends for their love during the past month. They constantly support me no matter what.
- Clients. I work with some wonderful people and really appreciate the rapport we share. Bonus? Doing what I love and loving what I do!
Gratitude is the fastest and surest route to happiness, no?
August is Happiness Happens Month – check out the (not so) Secret Society of Happy People for fun resources, inspiration and celebrate happiness!
So, how has August been for you so far? Do join us with your own gratitude post for our monthly Gratitude Circle Bloghop that goes live on the last Thursday every month – cohosted by Corinne and me. The linky is open until September 23.
Grab the badge above, link to this post, write your own and then add your post link to the linky below.
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Looking forward to the wave of gratitude posts,
Love, Vidya
I am also joining the Ten Things of Thankful, a weekly bloghop cohosted by A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, The Meaning of Me, Thankful Me, Uncharted, The Wakefield Doctrine
Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group!
Fabulous list. And that image of gratitude on the “porcelain throne” made me smile. You inspired me to write up a post and link. Best wishes!
Thank you, lovely Darla! hehe. I love the porcelain throne too! I remember, when I was very young, I used to think one shouldn’t pray while on it! And then, of course, my mind would be filled with prayers each time I sat there. That habit continues to this day!
Your gratitude post is beautiful! Would love to see those blouses! Hugs to you!
Mohali! That is where you were. Such a serene place it is.
Also, I have a love-hate relationship with my distractions. I love to hate them, but I can’t live without them. 😛 Sigh.
I know, right, Shantala? IISER Mohali has a beautiful campus!
I am happy that I can now visualize your face from that video, you know what I mean! 🙂 Loved it!
I do. 🙂
I was smiling just reading your list…and I know it would be a good idea for me to join your circle of gratitude but i also know that I suck at doing things like that in a disciplined way. So maybe I’ll just gatecrash and enjoy vicariously…
I would love for you to jump in whenever you feel like, Wendy! Gatecrashing most welcome! I make ongoing notes on my kitchen shelf, and so, always have lists ready!
Loved your posts vidya ! you are a bundle of positive energy and I feel so good to be here and get energised with everything you write. I am happy for your son and the way you have consciously identified so many things to be grateful for… thank you very much for sharing, and inspiring 365 days of the year, and I never regret visiting your page… hugs to you and have a great weekend.. I must mention I liked all the pictures and the quote you posted.
Thank you so much Angela, for your kind words! I enjoyed your inspiring post very much, too! It is easy to be grateful. Far better than sulk over what might have been, and definitely more enjoyable! Hugs!
Purging and cleaning! It is a long winding road, and in my experience things always get worse before they get better!
You said it, Vanessa! I am going through it right now… spending a lot more time with stuff than I should be! And yes, millions of miles to go before I sleep! Thank you for coming by and commenting!
Yes, gratitude is always a state of mind worth practising. What strikes me is that it is often the small things that matter most.
That’s so true, Lady Ella! Small things always make a huge difference. Thank you for your comment!
I think it is hard to adjust to cooking for fewer people when the kids grow up and move out–and, of course, feeling sad is normal! Hang in there! Loved that you can find gratitude in all things.
More than the cooking itself, it is the vacuum left by the lack of variety, Kristi! Sigh. I suppose I’ll get used to it and focus on the holidays when he comes home. 🙂 And (s)mother him! Thank you for visiting. So nice to have you here.
What a lovely post. Gratitude is a beautiful and important quality for all of us!
Lots of good things here – nature, good food, kindness.
Last summer we did a HUGE cleaning and purging project – we actually called it The Great Clean and Purge – and it felt so good. Happy cleaning to you!
You’re such a beautiful happy soul Vidya 🙂
I had no idea that your son was ready for college. That is amazing and congrats!
I often wondered how housekeepers of hotels cleaned so quickly!!!
You look fabulous in pink!!!
xoxo
Kimberloo! What a pleasure to see you here! Yes, and your son’s growing up so-o fast! Housekeepers have tricks up their sleeve as I’m finding out! Thank you for visiting. Hugd!
hi, Great list! August has been a good month for me, being grateful in everything we do is the real key to happiness. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful post!