A husband who can cook!

Since my decision to stay home with our daughter, some household tasks have been in flux. Whereas before my husband and I (roughly) divided up the cooking, now I have taken on most of that responsibility. However rather than this being a contentious issue, I have taken the opportunity to design and execute a bi-weekly meal plan- of which I am quite proud, since I have not been this organized in the past!  

Anyway, despite this recent development my husband does cook at least once a week. Not only does this give me a break, but his cooking is also delicious! He can make quite a few South and North-Indian dishes, but also some nice soups and stir-fry, the latter of which he made last night. A delicious mix of carrots, green beans, egg, and tofu with a tasty sauce, it was instagram-worthy- though I devoured it before even thinking of taking a picture :) 

I am so grateful to my husband for being such a wonderful cook!

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This post is part of the daily gratitude practice I am hoping to develop during 2018. You can read all about it here.

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May all beings be happy!

For good friends close by

Yesterday my husband, daughter, and I met up with a good friend who lives nearby. We had a wonderful time catching up and sharing a meal together. It reminded me of the many times I have felt so wistful about our grad school days when my husband (then boyfriend) and I were able to hang out with our friends, who are now scattered across the globe. Life was busy, stressful, and we hardly had any money, but we always found a way to escape the grad school grind. I really miss those days and the people we spent them with. 

Though not from the same cohort of friends, last night's outing reminded me of those good times, and for that I am grateful. I am also grateful for the great company and the sweet gift given to our daughter after our outing :)

Grateful for good friends :)

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This post is part of the daily gratitude practice I am hoping to develop during 2018. You can read all about it here.
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May all beings be happy!

How gratitude is helping

This post is not necessarily directed at any one thing I am grateful for, but to discuss how practicing gratitude has been helpful in my daily life. Anyone who knows me can vouch that I love my daughter dearly, and that I think she is the cutest and the sweetest. But, let's face it, one-year-olds can, ahem, try one's patience. When my little one is acting up (the latest is dropping food from the highchair while looking at me defiantly), one thing that helps me not get (as) annoyed is to think about and feel grateful for my own mother and her patience for my antics as a tiny tot. This does not mean I back away from the situation, but adding the element of gratitude to the mix helps diffuse the tension and makes me feel so much better. 

So, in a way this post is another thank you to my mom (and I am sure there will be more :) ), but I hope that my discovery of using gratitude to cultivate and inspire patience is helpful to someone out there as well.
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Post is an entry for the Gratitude practice I am developing during 2018. Please feel free to read all about it here. 

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May all beings be happy!

About the 'gratitude' posts

Since the beginning of 2018 I have been working on developing a strong gratitude practice and expressing that gratitude through my posts here at BCB. As I was writing there were some things that occurred to me, and so I decided I would share those thoughts as well. 

First, I want to be clear that nothing I post is ever intended to gloat or brag. I hope that all my readers realize how important it is for me to focus on the gratitude aspect of each entity for which I am giving thanks. This does not mean that there are no flaws, misfortunes, or shortcomings in my life and character, but rather that I am choosing to express the gratitude I feel pure and simple- and pushing aside any negative, critical, or apologetic thoughts or emotions, simply because they do not belong here. This means that most posts will have an very upbeat, reverent tone, not because I fail to see that everything is not perfect, but because these positive attributes are the components that are essential for cultivating an authentic, more intuitive sense of gratitude, which is my ultimate goal.

Second, though I said this venture would be difficult, I meant that mostly in terms of my own attitude and procrastination getting in the way. I now realize that this project is both difficult and easy at the same time: easy because there is no lack in people/things to be grateful for, but difficult because . . . there are so many people/things to be grateful for (and I want to thank them all at once)! What I am trying to say is that I hope no one is disappointed if they do not see a post expressing well-deserved gratitude towards themselves. Believe me when I say that I have not forgotten, I am just very slow and this is a day-by-day, post-by-post type of thing, because I want to do it right. (By all means, if the year is drawing to a close and you feel I need a gentle reminder, then do send one! :) ) 

Third, I can anticipate that there may be some posts that may seem silly or superficial, for instance giving thanks for some helpful household implement rather than a person or meaningful experience. If this annoys anyone, just BEAR WITH ME, and remember that I have not committed to this project to pretentiously discuss being thankful only for 'the big stuff,' but to appreciate the little things as well. If expressing gratitude is my path towards living life to the fullest, then I must consider all aspects of life, however grand or minute!

Thanks for your attention- as always, I welcome your comments and feedback!

With Love,

Renata

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This post is part of my 2018 daily gratitude practice, which you can read all about here.

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May all beings be happy!

My teachers

Another post that I am sure will be followed up with 'thank you's to specific people, but I feel it is important to collectively thank all of those great educators in my life who had such an impact on my education, and ultimately my career path. This thanks is extended to my teachers in elementary school all the way through to the time I was earning my graduate degree. It also includes those in whose classrooms I did not sit, but who encouraged and inspired me nevertheless.  

Thank you so much for dedicating your lives to sharing knowledge with others, and for your guidance on my own academic journey. 

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This post is part of my 2018 daily gratitude practice, which you can read all about here.
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May all beings be happy!

My ancestors

Today I give my gratitude to those from my family's past, my ancestors. Though I am sure that I will write future posts dedicated to specific people, right now I am thinking of my forebears as a whole, those who have passed away; both known and unknown to me. As far as I know almost all 'my people' come from very humble backgrounds, and that, like most people's ancestors, all of them struggled with hardships that most of us in present-day America can only imagine. Those born into the feudal systems of Europe had to endure some very tough conditions, no doubt a large part of why they emigrated- which itself brought a whole set of new challenges.    

I want to thank them, because I like to believe that I still have some of that toughness and resilience in me, that my generation was not the dilution point despite extremely fortunate circumstances for which they laid the foundations. 

To those past members of my family, I thank you, and hope that, if somehow you know who I am, my actions and character honor you in some way.

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This post is part of my 2018 daily gratitude practice, which you can read all about here.
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May all beings be happy!

My body

I would like to express gratitude for my body and its strength. A little more than a year ago it was recovering from childbirth, and somehow repaired itself despite the pain, bleeding, and exhaustion. If childbirth is a miracle, so is the healing that must occur afterward, because a mother's body goes through so much in such a short period of time. This includes not only pregnancy and childbirth, but also breastfeeding and the accompanying sleep deprivation and hormonal turmoil.  

I am also grateful for the slow but steady increase in my body's strength, and its ability to shed almost all the excess weight after baby. I am grateful because I know that my body's healing was not guaranteed, and that so many things could have been different from how they are now.

Thank you to my strong, capable, life-giving, and resilient body.

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This is an entry for the Gratitude practice I am slowly developing during 2018. Please feel free to read all about it here.
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May all beings be happy!