I was driving home today and while sitting in traffic, I saw a little girl get filled with excitement when the flurries started coming down. Somehow, in some weird way– her excitement and innocence made me realize that we often overlook the little things in life. And that somehow, prompted me to think about the times I may have taken people for granted in my life ( How did my brain jump from watching a little girl enjoy flurries to thinking about being ungrateful- I have no idea). The entire drive back, my mind was bombarded with moments I have taken for granted. So, here I am making a list of things/people that I have taken for granted in the past few weeks but am now making a conscious decision to be grateful for them and the little things they do. I will be sure to tell them in person since some of them may not read this.
1) When my co-worker was genuinely interested in hearing me ramble on- Thanks, Jhanvi!
2) Coming home and having dinner ready for me – Thanks, Mom!
3) Falling asleep with lights on and dad turning them off for me at night – Thanks, Dad!
4) Brother going out of his way to bring me Starbucks- Thanks, Bro!
5) Grandma listening to me talk to mom about how I wanted to eat a particular dish and cooking it the next day – Thanks, Ba!
6) Grandpa driving in the cold to drop off the food at my house – Thanks, Dadu!
7) Boyfriend going to the gym early for me, even though he hates it when it’s packed – Thanks, Babe!
8) Being greeted with the most genuine smile and hello from the security guard every morning without fail – Thanks, Mr. Wallace!
9) The lunch ladies at Jay’s cafe for making my veggie burger just the way I like without me saying anything – Thanks, ladies!
10) My baby cousins asking me for advice, thus making me feel important – Thanks, Suchi & Brianna!
11) My friends for having to receive essays in the form of text messages, then going on to read them and respond to them – Thanks, Hina, Jenie, Fal & Karen!
12) The cleaning lady at work always asking me how I am doing while she cleans out my bin – Thanks, Mrs. Chung!
– Dhara