22 January 2016

My 3 lessons of gratitude today:

• Today I looked at the shrubs on the sidewalk and was overcome with a sudden intrigue. The leaves were so green. Some leaves were purple. And if you know about Color Wheel theory, they were exact opposites! The realization that this pattern was all over nature just made me sit there for a while, being amazed at how nature has given rise to so many amazing things. I remember being amazed by how intricate all the mechanisms in our body were while studying anatomy. Just one tiny shift and we would be dead. I remember being amazed at how intricate the planetary motions were. Just one degree off and we'd be spinning into a different galaxy. Nature is amazing and yet it is so resilient. I'm grateful for being a part of nature and I deeply appreciate the delicate harmony of the world.
• I am grateful to have lived in a loving family throughout my life. And I have always taken it for granted - only after I've heard things about how other families were torn apart, I started to appreciate all the things, however small, that I've been blessed with. It's difficult to know a blessing when you have it because you often take it for granted. I'm grateful to have parents that shower so much care on me, saying things like "You're leaving Singapore in a few days, what do you want to eat, I'll bring you there!" And inside me, all I really wanted want to spend my remaining time in their presence. I love them so much. Sometimes it can be hard to express it outwards and directly because Asian parents tend not to be as straightforward as Western parents. I just hope that my actions reach out to them. I'm sure they feel my care for them. I'm grateful. While I seem hardened after 3 years of leaving them, I always feel a soft spot for them. And I do my best throughout to let them know how much I care. Afterall, my family was the one who was with me throughout my years. Their merit to me can never be repaid in full.
• I am grateful to my old secondary school friends who gave me a surprise selfie and a heartwarming "hi!". I didn't join them but I felt their presence. I'm so grateful for all the friends that have kept contact with me over the years. I wasn't the best person or friend in my secondary school days. It's quite amazing how they've managed to stick around long enough.