Hello dear reader,
I thought today I would not have the energy to write my newsletter.
I had been full of anxiety and sadness, especially since yesterday, because my cat, Ariel, had gone missing since Friday night.
Usually, she would be around our house and would come back from time to time.
Being away for one night was fine. I thought she would return the next day, but when I didn’t see her yesterday either, and even through the entire morning today, I started to become restless.
I went all around searching for her, calling her name in the neighbourhood, but she was nowhere to be seen.
I can’t tell you how weak and lethargic I felt.
I thought I had lost her forever and that I would never see her again. I didn’t want to lose another pet. The grief of losing one’s pet is something so heartbreaking, and it takes such a long time to heal.
Just that thought brought me so much sadness and panic that I didn’t feel like doing anything the whole day.
People who don’t know the love of pets often think they’re just a cat or just a dog. But we know that they each have a personality so distinct and so unique.
My two cats are siblings, but they’re so different from each other.
Elsa is an extrovert and daring, while Ariel (the one who went missing) is timid and fearful. Elsa is a boss girl, kind of like a tomboy, and Ariel is a baby girl. That made me worry about her so much more.
I kept praying for her safety and for her to come back to me.
Thankfully, this evening she did. I don’t know where she went, but she came back safe and sound, and I couldn’t be more grateful to God for her safe return.
Now, as I write this, she is sleeping beside me, and I don’t know who feels more peaceful- her or me. I won’t take this moment for granted.
Moments like this remind me not to take the neutral things in life for granted.
Neutral things are those things that aren’t so grand. They’re the things that are just there, quietly going right, but we often fail to notice them.
For example, only when we have a toothache do we realise that not having a toothache is actually a wonderful feeling.
Only when we lose something do we realise that what we had was actually good.
When my cat went missing, suddenly just having her around became the most important thing to me- something to be eternally grateful for.
So today I want to simply write down again a list of neutral things that I am grateful for, and maybe remind you through it that there’s actually so much to be thankful for.
- Grateful for a sound sleep every night, for I know what a struggle it is to not be able to fall asleep.
- Grateful for my mother’s good health and happy spirit.
- Grateful for all of my pets’ good health, and that they eat food properly.
- Grateful for my safe journey home for the puja vacation.
- Grateful for my job, which grants us the luxury of one month of puja holidays.
- Grateful to wake up each day without aches, pains, or any health issues.
- Grateful for a home and a room of my own, and to enjoy a steady life with food on my plate, clothes I can buy, places I can visit, and time I can spend as I wish.
- Grateful that I get to write, walk, eat, and do my work in peace and ease
There are so many countries right now in the midst of war and tension, where people haven’t enjoyed a moment of peace in years.
If you are living somewhere relatively safe and sound, let us not take this for granted. Let us also pray for those who are suffering, and pray for wisdom to arise in the hearts of world leaders.
I am also grateful for this natural breath that I can take without difficulty. Isn’t it the greatest neutral thing of all?
How wonderful this simple breath is that sustains life.
Often, we wait for big things, new things, or exciting changes to happen in life before we allow ourselves to be truly grateful or for our life to truly begin.
But the truth is, all these seemingly ordinary moments and neutral things in our lives that might be as small as your father calling you to ask what you did for the weekend, letting your mother know what you ate for lunch, or you going to get your groceries with your partner, or sitting beside your pets and loved ones, those are itself the most important moments in our lives.
How much I would love to see my father’s name ring on my phone, but it won’t, because he is no more.
How much joy it would give me to hold my pet Bella (my soul dog) and Mia (my first cat) again, who crossed the rainbow bridge.
How much I would have valued a sound night’s sleep during the days when I struggled with insomnia.
How much I would wish for life to return to normal if I were living in the midst of war.
So if your life feels stagnant right now, remember, it actually means that life is going pretty well for you and that there is no major pain and trouble for you.
There is so much already to be thankful for.
So being grateful for neutral things in life means being grateful for the things that we have while we have them.
It means valuing their presence while we have them, and not once they’re lost or gone.
And when we can feel thankful in the middle of these ordinary moments, and we can remember to tell ourselves, “This is it”, I believe then we are truly living well.
Perhaps this should be our life’s practice: to feel thankful then and there. To be grateful right in the midst of our everyday ordinary moments.
While we’re enjoying an ice cream with our friends.
While we’re talking and sleeping beside our partner.
While we’re laughing with our parents
While we’re enjoying a cup of tea with our loved ones.
When we can do that, I feel we will be our happiest, easiest and most peaceful selves.
So let us acknowledge all the neutral things in life and be grateful for them.
xx
P.S This was a part from my Mindful Monday Newsletter. To receive my newsletter directly to your inbox, subscribe below. It would be wonderful to have you ❤️
Journal Prompt of the Week
Table of Contents
- What are five “neutral things” in your life right now that you usually overlook but that actually bring you peace or comfort?
- Describe a “boring” moment from today in detail. How can you see beauty in it?
Blog Post of the Week
Quote of the Week
One from Others
Maybe the desire to make something beautiful
is the piece of God that is inside each of us
— Mary Oliver
One from me
Be like the Sun. Shine on all.
This much for today!
I wish you a wonderful week ahead
Past Newsletters you might like:
- On The Practice of ‘This is It’: Life is here
- On the Joy of Saying ‘I don’t know’ & having a beginner’s mind
- Lessons from Plants and The Gift of Paying Attention
- On Ordinary Things that aren’t ordinary at all
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