One way to appreciate the day is to accept that we’re going to die, and it might be today. That’s the truth. We are all going to die. We are all decaying.
You can choose to be depressed or you can choose to see it as a gift. It can bring you happiness or great sadness. The good news is that it is a skill, not a talent. Let’s call it gratitude. A skill, not a talent, to look at difficult situations and treating it as a gift.
It’s easy to be grateful for the things that are going your way. But the opportunity is to figure out how to be grateful for the difficult things.
This year I’m grateful for the pandemic. This has affected many companies and the livelihood of many. Many companies have shut down. Many people have lost their jobs, their plans vanished and are forced to work from home. I also think this has given myself and others, an opportunity to look inward and get to know ourselves. We can’t run away from the relationships we have at home, and most importantly, our relationship with ourselves. This has got me to re-look at my values, hire an integral coach and try to align my views of life. I got to learn about the emotions that I didn’t know I have and how best to use them.
Many people blame the government for the poor execution of the covid plan, especially the foreign workers’ dorm situation. This could also be the tipping point that could cause a lasting change. It is amazing to see Singaporeans band together, self-organise and launches initiatives to help the community. It shows that we, Singaporeans are powerful leaders, who don’t need to follow the rules and achieve amazing things.
I’m grateful for my parents. Despite our differences which led to many disagreements, they are really brave to join me for family therapy. And show up weekly to improve our communication together. They have provided a nourishing space for me to rest and recuperate.
I’m grateful for health. This year, the lower back has given up a few times which has caused me to be bedridden for a few days. This also led me to look into my health. I changed my relationship with food and developed new eating habits. This has resulted in me getting to the lowest weight in my adult life. I look way better and feel so too.
My wrist has also got some problems. It was easily inflamed which prevented me from using the Vespa, a few days at a time. I pay a lot more attention to it now and know when to rest it. Being more attune to my wrist and stretching it more, the flexibility has improved and I don’t need to rest my wrist for more than a day at a time.
The more we practice gratitude, the happier we will be. It is not to ignore the problem. But instead of a state of panic and anxiety, we go about solving these problems in a clear and calm fashion. Which might just be the most effective way.
If the journey is the destination, would you like to enjoy it?
[Thanks Tynan for inspiring this post]
