Nitemice

Because it was Australia Day yesterday, and I’ve been busy this week and hadn’t written a blog post yet, I went back and read what I wrote this time last year. And other than being amazed at how well written it was, I was shocked by how disconnected I had become with its themes over the course of a year.

In case you haven’t read it, Appreciate Everything was a blog I wrote exactly a year ago, reflecting on how good we have it in Australia, and how privileged and lucky we are living in this country compared to some other people around the world. At the time, I had only recently come back from my volunteering trip to India, and had that environment fresh in my mind for constant comparison.  Since then though, tonnes of things have happened, like the stress of day-to-day work, and many of them have clouded my vision to the simple beauties and wonderful moments that I take for granted. I’ve been blinkered into only thinking about the problems I face, and constantly worrying about what’s happened, what’s going to happen or some other, more abstract conundrum.

Don’t get me wrong, the good things in life don’t just negate all those troubles and anxieties. In fact, they may even make them stand out more, in contrast. However, they also put them on a plane where it is easier for them to be dealt with. They serve as a positive backdrop for working through those issues, rather than another weight, dragging you down. Just think about it; if you didn’t have a computer or internet access, how would you get your work done? How would you get through your week without ready access to music? How far would you have to walk to get home every day without a car, or public transport? These examples may seem silly, but you know that every situation could be worse.

So after rereading the blog post from last year, I  got reflecting on the last few weeks, and how I’ve spent the holidays with my family. It’s not like we’ve done anything special or particularly exciting, but it’s been good in a sort of simple, contenting way. I thought about the bushwalks we’ve been on, and the boring, sitting around talking that we’ve done and, on reflection, it’ been nice. And as much as some of them may disagree, or not be able to see it, these are the times we’ll appreciate later on, so we should appreciate them now too.

 Anyway, that’s how I feel. What do you think? What are you thankful for? Tell me in comments, or there’s always the “Contact Me!” page…

Post again soon,

Nitemice

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