how often are we grateful for what we are given?
as i lay in bed, it's all i can think about.
i live life by a schedule.
every day, i wake up by 7am, pray, have breakfast, catch the 9:02 ladies special train to college for a 10am lecture, and reach well on time.
lectures happen over the day and i mostly get done by 5, and try to catch the 5:15 back home to avoid being hoarded by the chaos of the rush hour.
i return home, freshen up, pray, have dinner with my family, complete my assignments while watching a show of my liking, catch up with a friend or two, talk to my fiancé (who is currently based in another country) and then go to sleep.
life couldn't be simpler than this.
i don't get much time for myself but usually i am left to the best of my thoughts when i am travelling to and fro during the day, most of which i bring back home for consideration during the empty minutes of the night before being welcomed by sleep.
its often when i travel that i look around, observing people, hearing conversations in the passing, seeing a moving picture of suburbs in a nutshell.
everything is fast-paced, so prim, so pressed for time. everyone is running a race of their own for survival and livelihood.
i look at some people around at times and wonder when was the last time life stopped for them enough to take a breather and appreciate where they were?
at times my eyes meet people who are distant, perhaps in a similar reverie that i am in, stopping and trying to let their mind process everything happening around them.
at this point, i always feel thankful of the liberty i am given to be able to process life this way. several others don't, for life doesn't give everyone the chance to daydream.
but how often are we grateful for this luxury?
it's always a race, always a grievance.
the trains are late. the lectures are long. the lunch isn't good. it's too hot. i never got a seat. i had to walk home. i had a fight with a friend.
how often do we get the chance to say -
the trains got me in on time. the lectures are long but atleast i got something good out of it. the lunch was enough to fill my stomach. i get to sit in the ac most day. atleast i got home in 30 minutes. i have a friend who will get over the fight and we'll be gossiping in another hour or two.
it amuses me how easy it is to complain.
and to spell out gratitude? the effort is magnanimous.
each night i head to sleep, my bed is a haven of plushy pillows and a warm blanket. life is comfortable and a privilege.
and that's why before i sleep, i make a prayer of gratitude.
mind you, i am no miss india with speeches of gratitude and world peace and hunger and poverty.
that's not in my control.
but being thankful about everything during the day that was good is definitely in my control.
the almighty may or may not be listening in to my little prayer, but my heart certainly is.
and as long as i remain true to my heart, gratitude will always find a way to make itself warmly visible.
🍑
- a daydreamer taking a breather from a fast-paced life
🍑
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Barren | ✓
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