Words that caught us: C-Y-B is for 'Count Your Blessings' (Part 1)

If you are new here,

We, in this post, turned December 2020,

Into a gratitude month.

 

Today is Day 13.

So, we have done 12 gratitude’s so far.

And, just in case you missed any of them,

Here they are, in expanded form:

 

Day 1:

We are grateful for the gift of life,

And the blessing of seeing December.

We are all guilty for, sometimes, taking life for granted.

We sometimes forget that we had no choice

In waking up today,

And that each day is a miracle, in and of itself.

For that, we bow down in gratitude.

Spare a moment for all those

Who were not so lucky.

 

Day 2:

We are grateful for good health,

Safety and protection.

This is one year where we all became deeply worried

About our health and safety.

There is a lot of pain out there –

Physical and psychological.

Spare a moment for the sick, the infirm,

The vulnerable, and those in pain.

For us who are still healthy,

We have a lot to be thankful for.

 

Day 3:

We are grateful to our Guest Officers

For their passion, commitment and dedication.

We can’t thank you enough.

You have been on the front line,

Braving the pandemic, in service of humanity.

Your passion and dedication is the ordinary stuff

That makes history!

Spare a moment for all the care givers*,

Whose passion and dedication

We all depend upon.

May providence give you everything we humans can’t!

 

Day 4:

We are grateful to our guests

For their trust and loyalty.

The operating environment remains challenging,

Uncertain and unpredictable.

But, thanks to you, we feel confident

That we have a fighting chance,

And that the future may, indeed,

Be brighter than the darkness of yesterday.

Spare a moment for the millions of businesses

That have closed down in this pandemic.

 

Day 5:

We are grateful to our business partners

For your understanding and patience,

For reaching out and holding our hands,

And for having our back when we needed it most.

You have helped make the load lighter,

And easier to bear.

We are immensely grateful.

 

Day 6:

We are grateful to be living in these difficult,

But interesting times.

Yes, it’s becoming increasingly difficult,

To make sense of the world we live in.

The convergence of various strands of tech –

Biotech, Nanotech, Fintech, Big Data,

Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, 

Virtual Reality…etc, is happening before our very eyes,

And will, undoubtedly, leave us feeling lost and winded.

Yes, these are difficult and challenging times,

But we are also lucky, to be witnessing history.

 

Day 7:

We are grateful to our parents, mentors

And role models.

We know we can’t be where we are today,

Without the values and beliefs you instilled in us,

And the inspiration of all those who came before us.

We stand firm because of the giants

Behind, ahead, below and above.

Our continued progress is your greatest legacy,

Our largest debt,

And our best gift to you.

 

Day 8:

We are grateful to our life partners and loved ones

For choosing to love us, despite our warts and all.

Thank you for nesting us in your tender loving care.

Spare a thought for all those caught up

In the pain of domestic violence –

Physical and psychological.

They need our prayers and support.

 

Day 9:

We are grateful to our children

For teaching us that we can be happy

In any situation, for no reason,

Even when we have little, and know very little.

They, perhaps, are the only ones who have truly cherished,

Relished and rolled with this pandemic.

We need to borrow a leaf –

They make adult-ing look so tedious and boring!

 

Day 10:

We are grateful to all our friends,

And all happy people,

Who kept in touch, during this pandemic.

Thank you for lighting us a candle.

You are adorable human beings,

And we are immensely grateful for your friendship.

Life is sunnier with you around.

Blessings!

 

Day 11:

We are grateful for the internet,

And to all people of good will,

Who have chosen to use it to share insightful,

Responsible and valuable content.

When hell broke loose, and misinformation swelled,

You came to our aid, 

Breaking it down for us into bites we could understand.  

Thank you for your generosity,

And for sobering us up!

 

Day 12:

We are grateful to all the authors

For giving us something lovely

To keep our minds busy and nourished, during the lockdown.

Thank you for journeying us far and wide,

For showing us many different worlds,

And giving us many different lives.

Wah! We are rich! 

These are, by far, the most adventures,

Ideas and friends we have ever had, in a single year!

 

In our post last week we discussed

The three forms of gratitude practice.

The foregoing 12 gratitude’s are focused mainly

On Gratitude TO and Gratitude FOR.

We’ll shortly be entering the deep and interesting waters

Of Gratitude IN,

And we are sending you a warm invitation to dance with us.

We’d love you to join us!

 

In the meantime,

Here is something we found interesting this week.

Apparently, our brains are wired for negative bias –

That is, we tend ruminate and focus more on the bad,

And ignore/neglect the good.

Did you know that?

Which means, if we are not deliberate in noticing the good,

Only the bad will capture our attention.

This can be particularly devastating

To our self-image, inner peace and relationships.

That’s why practicing gratitude is so transformative.

 

Give yourself a gratitude challenge this month.

Resolve to start a daily gratitude practice.

It might as well be the best gift you’ll ever give yourself!

 

*For a good understanding of what constitutes Care Work and Care Workers, please take a look at David Graeber's book, Bullshit Jobs.