Thankful for health - Day 11 of 30 - #30daysblogmarathon

I'm bored. So what? There are a thousand things I can do....

I can read a book.

Or watch a movie.

I can listen to music.

Or I can sing a song.

Or I can cook a good meal.

Or take a luxurious aromatherapy bath!

Or if I'm particularly enthused, I can even go out for a walk or a run.

I can do any of these things or more because I am able.

So today, I am thankful for a disability-free life and good health that allows me to go about my daily life in an unobtrusive manner and also enjoy some privileged activities uninhibitedly. My health allows me to indulge my senses and limbs in activities that stimulate my mind and keep me cheerful. 

There are so many people - our fellow inhabitants of this planet - that are either born with or inflicted later in life, either by disease or by accident, with a disability or a debilitating condition that prevents them from living and enjoying their life to the fullest. I feel so blessed that I've woken up today - safe, healthy and hearty.

When I pray to God, I usually bow my head in gratitude and don't really ask God for much. But one of the things I always pray for  is good health - mine and that of my loved ones. And I also silently offer a prayer of strength for those in this world that are worse off than me in health. Because I strongly believe that if health is gone, all is gone.

And yet we have such stellar examples of people who have achieved so much by overcoming their handicaps that I sometimes feel ashamed of not doing more with my life. 

Here, it's important to call out mental health. I am able not only because of my physical condition but also because of my mental soundness (or so I believe!). To be able to get through everything that life throws at us, it is important to have equanimity of the spirit, the wisdom to know right from wrong and have the humility, contentment and gratitude to accept that whatever we have been blessed with is best for us. I am not being vain, but I genuinely feel able to exhibit these mental attributes and for that I am ever grateful to the powers that be!

And most of all, I am thankful for spiritual well-being and sincerely pray that I am able to maintain a peaceful disposition quite like Mahatma's Gandhi's three monkeys by seeing no evil, hearing no evil and speaking no evil!

A healthy body, a healthy mind,
A healthy heart, are gifts to cherish;
If you have these today, you are better than most,
You are blessed beyond doubt, so celebrate and relish!


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P.S. None of the content on this blog to be reproduced or lifted without permission

Thanking Mother Nature - Day 10 of 30 - #30daysblogmarathon

The period between Christmas and New Year every year is quite a pensive one for me. Although New Year is basically just a change of calendar, it has always had special significance for me because I somehow see it as a new beginning......as if whatever has happened before it can just be magically put behind to start afresh. 

I love to look back on the year that's gone by; to recall the good and bad things that have happened during the year, decide which ones I want to move on from and which ones I want to commit to memory; to evaluate how much (if at all) I have grown during the year - be it developmentally, emotionally or spiritually; and most importantly, what parts of me do I want to carry into the new year. 

This year, I want to spend this week focusing on all the good things in my life. Hence, I decided to start this Gratitude week on my blog. 

And what better to start it with than the reason we all exist - Mother nature. 

We have Mother nature to thank
For the air we breathe,
For the clothes we wear 
and the food we eat!

For providing for us 
and holding us close,
Even when she's threatened,
Or abused so.

The plants and animals,
Fish, bees and birds,
All of them are what
Makes this is a happy world.

If earth had just us - lame humans,
And no trees or creatures,
We wouldn't have survived a day,
On this planet that we call ours.

The rain, the snow,
The seas, the skies,
All make living 
on earth worthwhile! 

The soil that nurtures us,
The air that sustains us,
The water that we so take for granted,
Are all gifts that she has given us.

I would be lying if I said that I was a nature lover in the truest sense. I am scared of creepy crawlies and can't go near them (though they are nature too). I don't have a green thumb, or even a green nail so I am terrible at maintaining plants. I am scared of most animals too. 

I'm the kind of nature lover that loves to sit by window and watch the rain trickle down the leaves of trees, or watch the leaves sway in the wind, or watch the birds flying in lovely formations or watch a herd of elephants in their territory, gracefully heading towards a water body, or watch a couple of rabbits playfully prance around. So I am not an active nature-lover, I'm a passive nature lover. I leave nature alone! I try my best not to mess with it and I definitely try earnestly never to take it for granted. My love for nature is more a form of respect or worship. 


I am deeply saddened when I read about forests being burned or animals being exploited for industry. If we can't show love and respect, the least we can do is to not take Her for granted. There's a very beautiful and powerful short film sponsored by Tata Steel on how we should preserve Nature for our future generations. It never fails to give me goosebumps. I'm including a link to this video in my post. If you haven't seen it, I absolutely insist that you spare 3 minutes of your time to watch this!

So today, I thank Mother Nature for all that she has given us and continues to give us unconditionally, unquestioningly and unendingly!

Do let me know your thoughts on nature in the comments section below. Here's also a link to a couple of posts on my old blog that are also related to Nature.
1. The Day the Paint Box fell from Heaven!
2. A World Without Colours!!!!

And come back tomorrow for a new post!

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P.S. None of the content on this blog to be reproduced or lifted without permission