A few years ago I used to keep a “Thank you God” notebook. A notebook I kept and used to count my blessings every day. Some days were truly amazing and some days I was thankful for an opportunity to live and write my own script. I recently went through one of these notebooks just to remember some of the things I had been thankful for and that’s what led to this blog post.
I should start by being grateful for the gift of choice. This year, I and a friend of mine Thandeka decided to simplify our approach to life a little. We both felt like it was time we did things differently, try things we have not done, take chances and be impulsive if we need to be. Our approach to this exercise would be different for each of us, while Thandeka decided to say YES I decided to say NO. This meant that Thandeka would be saying YES to a lot of things presented to her that she would normally hesitate about or put on hold just to be safe and I would be saying NO to a lot of things that stood in the way of things I wanted to do and NO to a lot of things that were conflicting with things I wanted to do…
And so Thandeka said YES to London and relocated a few months later, and that’s led to a lot more YES’s coming from her J… including YES to a few pounds on her hips so she tells me (and I hope she does not kill me for this), YES to a very charming and caring guy she absolutely adores, YES to many more travels coming out of London… YES to new experiences and and and…
As for my NO journey…what a year it’s been! I started off by saying NO to a job that no longer served me, NO to opportunities that were not in line with my purpose, NO to friendships that had expired, NO to things I did not believe in, NO to unnecessary baggage, NO to living life the same way as last year and the previous year and the year before, NO to many more distractions along the way… I even said NO to myself at times.
What started as a liberating exercise began to be quiet a tough exercise. When the going got tough I buried myself in the things of God, I was afraid of self destructing so I decided to become a regular cell member, not out of guilt but out of want. I no longer wanted to warm up the bench so I started serving in church again. I volunteered myself more than I ever had and that opened me up to meeting and getting to know new people… Though I am terrible at small talks, I made an effort to socialise more and found such special gems along the way.
I started relying less on myself and more on God and that is probably the most valuable results of my NO year… I found myself time, a POSITIVE NO results, something that leads me to a conclusion that truly in God’s timing we do stop everything we are doing to do the things we should be doing. Being aware of this is one special gift.
Because this year I realised; happiness does not come as a result of getting something we don’t have but rather, of recognizing and appreciating what we do have, here are the 12 things I am grateful for in 2015.
- Firstly I am grateful to the almighty for the gift of life!
- My mother, siblings and nunu pie, for always making me feel like I am better than I really am. Sometimes you trust me more than I trust myself and that trust goes a long way.
- I share gratitude to the SA Home Affairs Department, I intended to go on holiday with my friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday and my passport was delayed and so my plans changed. The best moment of my trip was on my return alone from Thailand, I remembered my spirit of independence and found some quiet time to take some of the bravest decisions I have taken this year. The forced alone time did me good.
- I am grateful for friendships that have become my sisterhood , the love and understanding surpasses that of any BFF. It’s been a crazy last half and I intentionally caved in, something they know I do often when I need time to “deal”. I am forever grateful for your presence in my life.
- New friendships and new opportunities that continue to stretch me and allow me to grow. Grateful for the people I meet along the way.
- I will forever be grateful to the past that led to the future, a secret muse who set during the wee hours and brainstormed the craziest of dreams. It is where the spirit was evoked and often I go back there to draw the energy because I love dreamers who make things happen… Might not be the LION safety matches competitor we conceptualised then amongst other things … but the journey is still the same.
- There are people who slept without food or a roof over their heads this year and I was not one of them. Dear almighty I am grateful for my daily bread.
- Out of 7 goals I managed to achieve 5 this year. The outstanding two are still very important but I thank God for holding my hand through the 5. I have no doubt the plan will be clearer for the other 2 next year.
- I am grateful for the journey of motherhood, definitely stretched my emotional muscle in ways I never imagined. A job quiet daunting but most fulfilling.
- Grateful for the value of belonging I found in my cell group this year. Through this family I am learning to be patient. Finishing on time was never our strength, to a point where it started feeling strange when we do. I guess I was beginning to accept our African time. I am sure they know I have come a long way since my early days when I used to walk out on them immediately at 7h30.
- I am so thankful for my men clan, the gentlemen who have now become my brothers; the support you gave me this year was beyond my expectations. In all of you I have found the older brothers I never had. You are my investment that matured early, literally and otherwise J
- Almost 4 months without much sugar, whoopee! I am grateful for small wins; they always build up to bigger wins. I now occasionally put a quarter tea- spoon in my coffee… only occasionally. That’s a big deal.
And so I conclude, for me 2015 was a ploughing season… I needed to say NO to a lot of things in order to be ready to say YES to better things in 2016.
So in anticipation I am adopting this Gratitude jar idea a friend of mine suggested last week… I get the feeling I need to come prepared!
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion therefore I will wait for him” Lamentations 3:22 – 24
Quench My Thirst 