My gratitude list

Thanks Corinne for coming up with this suggestion of making a gratitude list. Here are 56 things that I am grateful for. One thing for every year that I have lived. 

I am generally a person who believes in gratitude lists and keep thanking the universe for every small thing but when it came to actually making a list that long, boy, it was not easy. Still here goes.

Myself

1. I am grateful for being alive 
2. I am thankful that I am healthy till now in this pandemic.
3. There was a time when my knees were so bad, I had to use a wheelchair. I am so thankful that today I can not only walk but also dance.
4. I am grateful that I can do all my household chores without the help of my maid.

My family and friends

5. I am grateful for my daughters
6. For the fact that they have grown up to be utterly beautiful inside out
7. I am grateful that they are in good health
8. I am grateful that they are creative and use their creativity well.
9. I am grateful for the kind of parents I have, who always let me be me.
10. I am grateful that mom lives so close by because she is my inspiration.
11. I am grateful that she is active and healthy even at 82 and puts us all to shame with her daily routine.
12. I am grateful to my sisters who have my back no matter what.
13. To my sisters in law who are part of my heart.
14. I am grateful that all of them are in good health. 
15. I am grateful for my nieces and nephews who shower me with so much love
16. And their little ones who call me grandma or mai. I love being a grandma.
17. I am so thankful for my friends. They are my rock and my pillar. They accept me without judgement and help me grow into myself. They have been there to hug me when I have been down and cheered for me in my moments of victory and also to kick me in the pants when I have needed it.

My teachers:

18. I have had the best teachers both in school and in college. They have not just taught me the syllabus but also how to live.
19. I am grateful to those guru’s who I have been blessed to learn from, in the spiritual world as well as in the corporate world.
20. I am grateful for the fact that a lot of my teachers and gurus are still in my life, guiding me and inspiring me.
21. My yoga sir, Ram Iyer. He inspires me to keep going even though when I first started, I could not even sit on the floor and had to use a chair. Today I can do my whole hour with ease.
22. My fellow authors and bloggers who so readily share their experience and help me. They never stop pushing me to write. Thank you all of you.

My fur babies

23. Muffin my dog who came to me a couple of years after I lost my husband and filled a hole in my heart. Even six years later she still sits under my chair when I write and follows me all around the house.
24. Naala, the kitten we adopted from PAL. She is the sweetest most affectionate cat in the world. She wakes me up by giving me dainty kisses all over my face.
25. Benedict Cumberbatch, the other kitten that was dropped off at our house by the building kids who found him abandoned in the compound. He was just a week or two old and had grown into a very mischievous one year old. I am forever following him to rescue things from being destroyed by his curiosity.
26. The stray dogs on the road who follow me and beg for some pats and cuddles. 
27. The squirrel that lives in the tree outside my window and who scolds me if I let the cats sit out on the window.
28. The crow that comes every morning to eat a piece of chicken from my hand and talks to Muffin for a while before flying away.

Life:

29. Life, being alive is of course something I am grateful for, but also the lessons she has taught me. I have learnt that I can smile even through my pain and I can help others heal with my experience.
30. I am grateful to the various jobs I have had as a teacher, secretary, sales executive, training manager and finally writer and creative writing coach. Each of these jobs gave me something, taught me skills and helped me grow. 
31. Music. What would life be without music?

My skills and abilities:

32. I am so grateful for my writing skills. It  feels good to know I am good at it. It also helps me translate all those chaotic thoughts into something beautiful.
33. My ability to teach my students and help them blossom into budding writers.
34. My ability to empathise with people and genuinely reach out to them.
35. My ability to be alone with myself and feel comfortable about it.
36. My ability to bounce back when things go wrong.
37. My ability to ask for help when I need it.
38. My ability to love with all my heart, even though it sometimes hurts.
39. I am grateful that I can pen down my thoughts and feelings whenever I want to.
40. I am grateful for my imagination that helps me to fly away to places that are magical when reality gets too depressing.
41. I am grateful that I still find new things to learn.
42. I am grateful that I can knit and crochet and make pretty things for friends and family.
43. I am grateful that I can dance with abandon, not caring what anyone thinks.

My writing

44. I am grateful that I published not one but two books and will hopefully go on to publish more.
45. I am grateful to all those people who took the trouble to read those books and put up reviews.
46. I am grateful for my poetry group that meets every month and gives me the opportunity to share my poems and listen to some awesome poems as well.

Daily stuff

47. I am grateful for the house over my head.
48. The food on my table
49. The grocery guys who deliver to the doorstep.
50. The Air conditioner 
51. The internet for allowing me to connect with my near and dear.
52. Whatsapp which makes it so easy to share thoughts and ideas.
53. Video calls that help me see people even if they are far away.
54. Good neighbours who always stop to say hello.
55. The area I live in, the trees and the flowers around.
56. The fact that I don’t have a nine to five job which means my day is my own to create.

So many things to be grateful for. It makes me feel so blessed. I hope you also feel blessed when you make your list!