Hot gossip weekender 20-22 jan
saoutchik
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London
Posts: 16,187
Thank you for the heads up in respect of La La Land Tetra and Venecia
I have had a stressful day today and feel wrung out. It's like I have used all my considered or thoughtful words up and all I have left is "yeah, no whatever" so I can' t be much fun to talk to.
I have had a stressful day today and feel wrung out. It's like I have used all my considered or thoughtful words up and all I have left is "yeah, no whatever" so I can' t be much fun to talk to.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,010
It often takes tragedy to wake us up, to make us reevaluate our lives and appreciate what we have. The reason for this is that when tragedy strikes, everything becomes instantaneously prioritized. You realized what matters most and what you care about and anything that is not essential is ignored. Yet when things are going well it can be easy to overlook the blessings in our lives. We can take for granted our health or the relationships we are fortunate enough to have and rather get caught up worrying about our mounting bills or dripping tap or being stuck in traffic.
Each and every day we are blessed with so many things. Yet each and every day we are blessed with so many things that happen, starting with the fact that we wake up in the morning to another day ahead. And each day, every single one of us has something to be grateful for. Sometimes these things are big, such as getting a wonderful job offer, sometimes they are small, such as the fact that the baby slept through the night. But the more we focus on what we have to be grateful for in our lives, the easier it will be to deal with the challenges and tests that we may face as well.
I want to share a personal story with you, the main reason for writing this. And yet I feel it is essential, for it is the reason I want to start something with a real focus on the positive, and a place for me to share how blessed I feel and how grateful I am.
As some of you know I work in an office at a large hospital. I am not on the frontline dealing with patients who are critically ill but ocassionally it comes knocking on my door. This morning I was in the queue for coffee in the canteen. There was a lady behind me talking on the phone. I was in my own little world until I heard her say "I'm so relieved. I got the all clear. The other test came back negative as well. I'm waiting for a coffee. Why don't you join me? I would be so excited to see you".
Something that will never fail to surprise me is the resiliency of the human spirit. Even when people are struggling through the worst times in their lives, humor, love and positivity can still shine through. I see this everyday working in a hospital, and yet it always amazes me. It is the best quality of humans I can think of.
I walked away with tears in my eyes and those words ringing in my ears.
When I returned to the office, the registrar told me that a patient I had helped out by arranging a transfer from another hospital passed away this morning.
Can you be grateful when life sucks?
It may not be easy, but you do have a choice.
Can you be grateful for everything? No. No one can be grateful for war or pain or suffering of another person. But within every moment, there is an opportunity to be grateful for something.
Can you be grateful for everything? No. But right there is the essence of not only gratitude, but happiness – whole, genuine, unconditional happiness to which we can connect even when things are difficult, painful, or sad.
Was I grateful that the patient had died? No.
But within that moment I was grateful that I was able to play en extremely minor role in making their last few weeks in this life a little more comfortable. I was grateful that the chilly air outside made my headache subside a bit. I was grateful for my health and that I can get up and walk around unaided. I was grateful knowing that when I came home from my work my dad would call me up and ask me how my day was. I was grateful to know that even though I live with the most irritating housemate known to man, I still have food in my fridge and a warm bed to crawl into.
Gratitude, like happiness, is not a random feeling or emotion. It’s an action, a response that we can choose to cultivate in any situation. Even those that are painful or sad or difficult. It’s not always easy to do, but we always have a choice to do it.
Even in the toughest economic or political times, there are numerous reasons to be grateful. The old saying tells us to count our blessings, but sometimes that can be difficult to do. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving for you to feel grateful and express that gratitude. Every now and then, it doesn’t hurt to take stock of just how good you have it.
You woke up this morning, breathing and with a heartbeat. You get to enjoy today and hopefully wake up again tomorrow. You get to see your family and friends, and enjoy food and life’s luxuries. It can sometimes be easy to forget to be grateful for the most basic thing: life itself.
So this is my place to say "Thank You" and to encourage all of you to be grateful for in your life each day. Big or small, it doesn't matter, they are all important to share and important reminders that our lives are filled with blessings and miracles.
Each and every day we are blessed with so many things. Yet each and every day we are blessed with so many things that happen, starting with the fact that we wake up in the morning to another day ahead. And each day, every single one of us has something to be grateful for. Sometimes these things are big, such as getting a wonderful job offer, sometimes they are small, such as the fact that the baby slept through the night. But the more we focus on what we have to be grateful for in our lives, the easier it will be to deal with the challenges and tests that we may face as well.
I want to share a personal story with you, the main reason for writing this. And yet I feel it is essential, for it is the reason I want to start something with a real focus on the positive, and a place for me to share how blessed I feel and how grateful I am.
As some of you know I work in an office at a large hospital. I am not on the frontline dealing with patients who are critically ill but ocassionally it comes knocking on my door. This morning I was in the queue for coffee in the canteen. There was a lady behind me talking on the phone. I was in my own little world until I heard her say "I'm so relieved. I got the all clear. The other test came back negative as well. I'm waiting for a coffee. Why don't you join me? I would be so excited to see you".
Something that will never fail to surprise me is the resiliency of the human spirit. Even when people are struggling through the worst times in their lives, humor, love and positivity can still shine through. I see this everyday working in a hospital, and yet it always amazes me. It is the best quality of humans I can think of.
I walked away with tears in my eyes and those words ringing in my ears.
When I returned to the office, the registrar told me that a patient I had helped out by arranging a transfer from another hospital passed away this morning.
Can you be grateful when life sucks?
It may not be easy, but you do have a choice.
Can you be grateful for everything? No. No one can be grateful for war or pain or suffering of another person. But within every moment, there is an opportunity to be grateful for something.
Can you be grateful for everything? No. But right there is the essence of not only gratitude, but happiness – whole, genuine, unconditional happiness to which we can connect even when things are difficult, painful, or sad.
Was I grateful that the patient had died? No.
But within that moment I was grateful that I was able to play en extremely minor role in making their last few weeks in this life a little more comfortable. I was grateful that the chilly air outside made my headache subside a bit. I was grateful for my health and that I can get up and walk around unaided. I was grateful knowing that when I came home from my work my dad would call me up and ask me how my day was. I was grateful to know that even though I live with the most irritating housemate known to man, I still have food in my fridge and a warm bed to crawl into.
Gratitude, like happiness, is not a random feeling or emotion. It’s an action, a response that we can choose to cultivate in any situation. Even those that are painful or sad or difficult. It’s not always easy to do, but we always have a choice to do it.
Even in the toughest economic or political times, there are numerous reasons to be grateful. The old saying tells us to count our blessings, but sometimes that can be difficult to do. It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving for you to feel grateful and express that gratitude. Every now and then, it doesn’t hurt to take stock of just how good you have it.
You woke up this morning, breathing and with a heartbeat. You get to enjoy today and hopefully wake up again tomorrow. You get to see your family and friends, and enjoy food and life’s luxuries. It can sometimes be easy to forget to be grateful for the most basic thing: life itself.
So this is my place to say "Thank You" and to encourage all of you to be grateful for in your life each day. Big or small, it doesn't matter, they are all important to share and important reminders that our lives are filled with blessings and miracles.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,010
Well I tried to be good today and failed. I said no more junk food but the medical team had their breakfast meeting this morning and they brought back the leftover croissants and sausage rolls for us. Fruit tomorrow.
My dad once said to me "the meaning of life is to work hard and try to make life easy for others". I try to keep that in mind.
When the charts from today's clinic landed on my desk for typing, I saw one of then had a big note taped to the front which read "attention! This patient has another appointment after this one. Please give them the chart to bring over on their way". I guess the doctor forgot. So I went through the phone directory and got the number of the other secretary. I told her I had the chart and did she want me to drop it over? I was half hoping she would say "it's ok I'll collect it". But she said "if you could do that it would be so kind of you". I figured I needed a break from the keyboard so I put on my coat. When I arrived one of the guys from medical records was there too. They both looked at me and said "that was very decent of you. Very decent". If I didn't do it she would probably have sent him over.
My dad once said to me "the meaning of life is to work hard and try to make life easy for others". I try to keep that in mind.
When the charts from today's clinic landed on my desk for typing, I saw one of then had a big note taped to the front which read "attention! This patient has another appointment after this one. Please give them the chart to bring over on their way". I guess the doctor forgot. So I went through the phone directory and got the number of the other secretary. I told her I had the chart and did she want me to drop it over? I was half hoping she would say "it's ok I'll collect it". But she said "if you could do that it would be so kind of you". I figured I needed a break from the keyboard so I put on my coat. When I arrived one of the guys from medical records was there too. They both looked at me and said "that was very decent of you. Very decent". If I didn't do it she would probably have sent him over.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Posts: 28,647
Tetra- you have embraced mindfulness really well. Good on you- yes gratitude is important. It does not come as a woo-hoo moment. Just a quiet recognition will do me.. A thought which can define the action.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,393
Good evening all. I'm back at hotel after a long but productive day. Sober and pleased with that fact. Ate a vegetarian choice at the post meeting dinner, and feeling inordinately virtuous even about that! Ha!! I'm going straight to sleep we start early again tomorrow. The room is lovely and clean and fresh. But what sounds like a middle school girls soccer team must have taken the next room. Lots of loud thumps and bangs and shrieks and giggles.
Keep the faith...take care...see you tomorrow
Keep the faith...take care...see you tomorrow
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