Spectator by Seema Goswami: An attitude of gratitude
There’s so much to be grateful for. But take a close look back at the year that’s passed and celebrate how far you’ve come
This was the year that I began keeping a gratitude journal in real earnest. And I found it incredibly therapeutic to jot down one thing that I was grateful for every single night before I turned in. It wasn’t always the big stuff. Sometimes it was just something as simple as watching a peacock dance while I was on my walk. Or something as mundane as the fact that my roast potatoes had turned out perfectly. But the habit made me appreciative of both the big and small pleasures that life has to offer – if only we look out for them.
So, as 2024 winds to a close, I decided it would be fitting to share with you some of the things that I was grateful for this year.
Fulfilling my resolution of cutting down on needless consumption. I had promised myself that this year I would not buy any new clothes, shoes or bags. And I am happy to report that I kept that promise. That’s not to say that I didn’t have any new things at all this year. Thanks to the generosity of my husband, my family and friends, I stocked up on enough birthday and anniversary presents so as to not feel deprived. But I resisted the temptation to buy anything for myself. And I feel absurdly proud of that achievement.
I managed to tick off one of the few remaining things on my bucket list by finally making that trip to Egypt. Usually when you spend so much time building up a destination in your mind, it tends to be a bit of a letdown when you get there. Well, that was not the case with Egypt. My first glimpse of the pyramids blew me away; they really are much more impressive in person than they could ever be in photos or videos. The antiquities in museums; venturing into Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings; visiting the vast Necropolis at Saqqara. Cruising down the Nile in a boat for four days was the piece de resistance; sitting on the deck sipping a cocktail while mountain ranges, temples, ruins and endless palm trees slipped by. Truly magical!
I took time off from writing this year to focus on reading, hoping to expand my horizons beyond my usual favourite writers and genres. I am happy to report that I succeeded (more on this in another column in the new year). And now, suitably recharged, I will go back to working on my book in 2025. Wish me luck!
Reconnecting with old friends from school and college was another highlight of my year. And it was especially heartwarming that even after a few decades of no-contact, we could pick up seamlessly from where we left off, chatting and gossiping as before, catching up on all that we had missed on. It didn’t even matter that all this was done on the phone. But our resolution for 2025 is to make sure we meet up in person — if only to check how well (or badly!) we have aged. And on that hopeful note, here’s wishing all of you a very Happy New Year! May all of you have many things to be grateful for in 2025.
From HT Brunch, December 28, 2024
Follow us on www.instagram.com/htbrunch
