Expressing Gratitude

We often don't appreciate what we have until we lose it. Our bodies function on autopilot—we breathe, our organs do their job, and our limbs move without us thinking about it. Yes neurons will send signal from our brain to the muscle to move our arms or fingers, but we have no awareness of it, and take it all for granted until something stops functioning. And then, we really feel every movement, every discomfort, and every pinch of pain. (image by geralt)

 

I have an injured left arm. And up until recently, I never really thought about it much. It was just an arm. I'm now realizing how much work it did without me putting in an effort. I now feel every incremental shift.

 

Move the wrong way, and a searing pain runs through it. I can no longer sleep on my left side. Turning in my bed to sleep on my stomach is an agony, and don't even get me started on washing my hair, lifting it to pull my hair back, put on my clothes, drive as I turn the wheel, pick up grocery bags, and even type this post because when I drop down my elbow and use my fingers to type on the keyboard, I feel a sharp pain running through my entire arm.

 

I am now typing with my right hand, and my left arm is resting on ice. Hey, at least I still have one arm that works. And sorry if you see errors on this post. At the moment this is the best I can do :/

 

My family has offered to help. But you know how that goes. I would rather do everything myself without bothering everyone. I guess I'm grateful that I can function on my own. Of course, it's temporary, and I'll get better. I'll just drop a coin in my basket of bumps in the road. But what if I wasn't so lucky, and this was permanent? Yes, I would adapt, but what a shame that I did not appreciate my arm when it worked. Get my point?

It's important to make a mental note to be grateful everyday for all that we are, and all that we have. So, what are you grateful for? Write it down to remind yourself to be content, and to enjoy all the small moments in life. As Whoopi Goldberg's character says in the film titled Eddie: "It doesn't get better than this." (image by StockSnap)

Happy Mother's Day 2025

Mother's Day can be difficult for those of us who have lost our moms. I remember after losing mine, everyone would invite me to join their celebration for the first few years. After that, I started making plans on Mother's Day with friends who had either lost their mom, or their mom lived in a different state.

It's been fourteen years since my mother passed away. I don't think about Mother's Day anymore unless I get invited to someone's house or a friend wants to hangout with me because they're having a difficult time dealing with the loss of their mom. It's not that I don't think about my mother. I think about her every day when I look at a framed photo of her on my desk. But  I no longer feel the same sharp pain as I did when I first lost her. Of course, it took me five years to feel like myself again, and not break into tears each time someone mentioned her name. And it took another five years for me to accept that she was gone.

One of the things that I found helpful was making plans to go out with friends on Mother's Day. Another thing that was helpful was to pick up the phone, and wish everyone I knew who was a mom, a Happy Mother's Day. I found that most people really appreciated it when I called them even though they were not my mom. Because you see, Mother's Day is a day to celebrate women, and everyone who is a mom.

Not everyone takes as long as I did to get over their mom. I remember being at a luncheon gathering, and someone I knew came up to me and told me to be patient and that it took her eight years to get over her dad passing away. And just by talking to her, I felt comforted.

If your mom is alive, do not take her for granted, and make sure you visit her as often as possible. If you are a mom, have an amazing Mother's Day with your family. And finally, if you have lost your mom, know that the pain lessens as the years pass, and what's left will be the good memories that you shared.

  

Lost

I have lost my path, and need to find it back. I'm tired of all the hostility in our world. lately, I haven't been in the mood to do anything. Motivational speakers say don't listen to what your brain tells you. Get over it. Just do it. Although I do agree with this philosophy most of the time, there are times when I know I need to shut down. (image by Graham Gercken)

If you have been following me on my blog, know me from twitter, or have read my work, then you already know that I'm not just a writer, but also an activist. I'm not big, known, or anything like that. I contribute in my tiny way to help make the world a little better. One example is The Conscience, the humanitarian aid flotilla, that was bombed by Israeli drones in Malta. Everyone around the world made so much noise, pushing Malta to agree to repair it. Otherwise, all the aid workers on that ship would have died.

People don't like activists, and find them annoying. Even most writers roll their eyes, and stay away from carrying a conversation about injustice, because all they want is to sell their books, and don't want to offend anyone. But if it weren't for activists, no one would be enjoying a better quality of life and have some freedoms. Activists are the ones whose legs the rest of the society stands on. They risk their lives everyday so that we can live a comfortable life.

And I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about the leaders of human rights organizations, Amnesty International, student activist leaders, journalists, conscientious politicians and speakers, and many others who have a voice and use it to make people's lives better. I have a big appreciation for them, and do what little I can to support them. 

Unfortunately, I'm also an empath and soak up everything like a sponge. So, I need to disconnect when things become overwhelming like right now, in this chaotic world. Because if I continue, then my health would deteriorate, and I'll be no good to anyone.

So, I'm disconnecting for a bit to remind myself that there is also good in this world. I'm turning inward so that I can unblock whatever is holding me back from writing. I believe that it is in the quiet moments of life where we can find ourselves, and feel whole again.