July 2024 Gratitude

Pic.courtesy Maria Dorothy

I am back again to write this gratitude post - 31 days of July and 7 months of the year 2024 has just gone. I can’t believe the days are flying. Writing this post is one of my favorite activities that keeps e positive and energetic too. So here goes my gratitude list for the month of July, 2024.

I am grateful that my ear is completely healed and I am feeling much better, to be able to get back to my daily routine with no more complains about my health – grateful to God for restoring back my health, so that I am able to get back to my academics, career and connect with my friends.  

I am grateful that I get to go to work, and most importantly I enjoy and find meaning and fulfillment in what I do. I meet my students every day listening to their issues and enabling them to figure out ways and means to find solutions, these experiences motivates me to live life to the fullest and never take anything for granted.

There was one student who brought her mother for counseling, with anxiety and severe obsessions with over thinking and negative thought process. This was challenging as her mother could not read or write and to help her with talk therapy completely in Telugu and also teach her CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy) concept was difficult;

“Gratitude for work is the foundation for a fulfilling career”

But I  was keen to help her out so I decided to do the whole session and the concepts in Telugu, rehearsing in my mind the words and the sentences - I could not believe as I surprised myself and managed to handle  a couple of sessions completely in Telugu. At the end of the session the person was so grateful that she made a comment stating that she has never met anyone like me and felt it was a divine appointment – she got teary and thanked me for the time and efforts I put in this session. I was grateful that I gave myself a chance and an opportunity to do something that I have not done before and it was a great feeling.

I am grateful that I could facilitate a session for the YWCA on Substance Abuse and it s impact in one of our communities. Dr George Reddy was the resource person (He is on our advisory board for the Centre) and it was heartening to see so many women almost above 90 who belong to the self-help group.

“Gratitude isn’t a burdening emotion” Loretta Young

Working in the community is not easy; as the women have their own struggles of storing water for a week; as they get water only once a week. And that day was the water day and I thought the women may not come, but despite all odds most of the women attended the programme and benefited from the orientation as Doctor gave practical examples of how a person can get hooked to substances and the impact of it in their lives and families and how this can be prevented, along with helpline numbers and referrals.

This month I was glad to attend a wedding of one of my friends daughter – that gave me opportunity to connect with all my old friends, even though we are in the same city – this marriage brought all of us together and it was a pleasant evening together with great ambience and delicious food.

I am grateful that this month I could meet one of our old classmates who retired from her work and she was shifting to Bangalore due to her son’s job. So, she called a few of our school mates for lunch and we connected almost after four and half decades; there was so much to talk and we had a great time enjoying our meal and meeting her family and then sharing our school experiences- looking at our  class photo and identifying once another and our teachers was fun. It was a great experience and I look forward for many more meetings with my school girls.

I am also grateful for the many opportunities that I get to learn – my philosophy exams got postponed to August due to other government competitive exams. So I got more time to study. Meanwhile I also enrolled to do a certification course in YOGA. This was the second batch the university is offering a Diploma and I felt it is important to learn so that I can help my students. I have learnt yoga and do practice Pranayama’s and few Asana’s every day – I am grateful for the guru’s who have taught us, recall learning it in Bangalore while I was doing my theology simultaneously.

Then we used to have summer camps in the local area and Yoga was taught for all – I used to attend and I picked up well in integrating the yogic stretches with breathing exercises. Now when the university is offering a certification course. I am grateful for the opportunity  -attended the Yoga classes on all the Sundays till September 2024 as per the syllabus. I am happy to be surrounded with a hall full of youngsters and enjoy their company as I learn with them the theory as well as the practice.

This month we celebrated one of our friends birthday- these are special group of friends and we all work together in the area of mental health. As we could not meet on the birthday, we decided to meet for a buffet breakfast. I am grateful for these small joys in life wherein we connect for a couple of hours and get back to our work places.

I am grateful for the opportunity –to take one session for the women in the project site of the YWCA of Secunderabad. It was on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking, which falls on June 26^th but we did this programme on 26^th July, 2024.

I was glad to interact with 45 women and orient them on what is substance, and why is it taken and how can we identify and prevent people from getting into addiction. What steps can we take; and what are the places for referral and where do they contact for help.  These moments divert me to do something different from my individual counseling sessions and I do enjoy these awareness programmes and interacting with participants, wherein I also encourage the staff to attend, learn and equip them to be able to replicate these kind of sessions in the community.

This month David was busy with his own work – involving himself with digital marketing, and Dorothy was attending college and preparing her assignments for submission and also for the practical exams which was preponed before the final exams.

I watched a Malayalam movie on Net flicks, as Dorothy was very keen to watch Aavesham, and I also enjoyed the popular comedy Sarbhai Vs Sarabhai.

There were also plenty of surprises – I had two of my sister in laws on different days making some special dishes for us – coconut rice, cutlets, wada, cake and also mint chutney. I am grateful to God that all my basics needs are met and I am surrounded by people who are warm, helpful and generous – it’s a blessing to have people who care, value and stay in touch.

With a grateful heart I welcome AUGUST 2024 !

Hoping that this month will bring numerous blessings to all of us… as I end this I remember the people of waynad with landslides and so many lives lost.. I also read so many generous souls reaching out to them, the government doing its best; let us hope and pray and do whatever we can to reach out to this state.

Thanks for reading my post,

Be Blessed & Be Happy!