Yes, I know I am late by a week in writing my first post for 2018 but my current year resolution is to not overstress myself, not overthink, not to overdo. And just follow my heart.
Thus, I decided to take an extended week off from work. The last week of 2017 was all about celebrations. I had all my friends visiting us for the New Year’s and we partied hard. I couldn’t get overcome the hangover of meeting them, spending lovely moments, making beautiful memories after a long time. Friendship is intoxicating but in a good way. Friends are an addiction you want and should keep for life. Having such lovely people in my life made me feel very happy about the way 2017 went by, swiftly and so I want my first post for 2018 to be a gratitude post.
Here is my list of 10 things, moments, memories, small achievements and reasons for which I am extremely grateful.
- First and foremost, I am thankful to have been blessed with a loving and supporting family without whom I would have not been where I am today -In the most blissful phase of my life.
- I am grateful to have friends who have constantly supported me in my endeavours and helped me overcome my fears and apprehensions. It is only because of them that I could keep up with my resolution of keeping myself fit and healthy last year.
- Thankful to have been blessed by a daughter who motivated me to face fears head-on. Finally, I could overcome my phobia of water which I developed in childhood and learnt to swim.
- I am thankful to have found a ‘Guru’ who is encouraging me in my endeavour to start learning something new, something I haven’t attempted before and felt a need to at the age of 37. I seek her blessings as I embark on this journey of learning Kathak.
- My blog reached greater heights this year. It has been a very fruitful year for me. A year of blogging which changed me as a person. It made me a more positive and motivated person. The icing on the cake was being featured in the Directory of best Indian blogs in June 2017 and is listed in the parenting blog category again in December on the same site when the list was updated. I am glad that I could keep up the momentum all throughout the year.
- I am extremely grateful to have made great new connections through blogging. I made some amazing new friends and strengthened friendships with old ones.
- I am grateful that fellow bloggers from around the world recognized my work on the blog and approached me to contribute guests posts on my blog.
- I could do more professional work and eventually make some money from my blog. From writing blog posts for barter to writing paid and sponsored posts. Puzzles – Fun Way To Engage Children! – My First Sponsored post for 2017.
- I am grateful that my blog post about my daughter’s passion for art got her an opportunity to illustrate two stories for my blogger friend and Author Kanika G. You can see her work here : “The Mysterious Uncle Uh-Oh” authored by Kanika G , illustrated by Mishti Shah
- After taking a sabbatical from work, I have been financially dependent on my husband. Although I love to spend his money for shopping but being raised to be an independent person, this always bothered me. However, 2018 seems more promising and I feel grateful that finally, I am able to make some money out of my passion for writing. It gives me immense satisfaction that I was able to pay for my daughter’s swimming coaching and her first overnight trip from school from my hard- earned money. Though it’s a meagre amount but the confidence it has given me to achieve my dreams is huge. And it’s just the beginning.
I look forward to 2018 with renewed vigour and hope. How was your 2017? What are you grateful for the year that passed and what are your aspirations for 2018? Do let me know in comments.
Featured image courtesy: Pixabay
I am linking this post with #MondayMusings Everyday Gyaan
