4 Reasons to be grateful

As the year draws to a close, I realise that I have a lot to be grateful for. In particular, I have four  major reasons to be truly grateful for.

Grateful for being alive

They say that as you grow older, you attend more funerals than weddings and birth celebrations. This year I attended two funerals and two condolence meetings. I also heard of the passing away of three others – dear friends’  parents who passed on while I was away. While one of the people whose funeral I attended  was old and ailing, the second was not.  He was hale and hearty and closer to my age……That was a real shocker . Within minutes the person was gone. We take our lives for granted and the realisation that death has come to my generation  made me feel grateful for just being alive.

Grateful for good health

Mumbai is one of those places where Malaria is endemic. My brother once told me that the Aedes aegypti that bite in the day are carriers of Dengue while the Anopheles who bite in the night  are carriers of Malaria. Luckily I don’t know what time the mosquitos that transmit Chickungunya bite. However, I’m grateful  that despite several mosquito bites  at different times of day, I didn’t get any of the mosquito borne diseases that are endemic in my city.

Earlier this year I developed a strange symptom of an extremely dry mouth and really dry eyes. While the dry eyes didn’t bother me, the dry mouth did. Because there were times when I just couldn’t utter a word, simply because my mouth was too dry! The doctor I consulted scared me with a probable diagnosis of Sjogren’s Disease. While I didn’t bother with testing this out, I am grateful that even though my mouth is still dry, it hasn’t got any worse. Moreover, I can still talk!

Terror Attacks.

According to the Esri Story Maps Team  and Peace Tech Lab  there have been 1789 terror attacks and 15,888 fatalities world wide in 2016. Terror attacks know no logic nor do they follow a pattern. You do not have to be in a war zone. Nor do you have to belong to any ethnic or religious group.  You could be just an ordinary person like me. You could be boarding a plane or having dinner at a hotel. So I am indeed grateful that they didn’t attack when I went for a movie or shopped in the local bazaar.

Grateful for good help

My household consists of my octogenarian in-laws and my husband and myself. I also have two grandchildren who I babysit daily. This year I had yet another grandchild which made it imperative that I get help no matter how incompetent or erratic they may be.  There were times in the year when I had no one really to help which made me grateful that for the most part there was someone around!

But what I am most grateful for…………..

I am grateful for all this and much more

• Love of family and friends : they may be a source of aggravation but they are a major source of joy
• The opportunity to travel : it might be a fiddle but is a great learning experience
• The support from bloggers : it’s amazing how real strangers become virtual friends
• The generosity of complete strangers: I can’t cease to wonder at the goodness of those who lent me a much needed and appreciated helping hand
• The blessings of the Universe:  Last but not least, I am truly grateful to the Force or Whoever is Up There . Thank you truly for making sure thatI  and mine were well cared for.

Indeed I have a lot to be thankful for.

Linking this post to #GratitudeCircle hosted by Vidya Sury.