30 Days of Gratitude Day 22 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today the world woke up to the terrorist attacks in Brussels. It seems that a week does not pass without some awful terrorist attack somewhere. Last week it was Istanbul where a suicide bomber killed three Israelis and an Iranian. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that Turkey is “awash with terrorism” and the President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would use all its military and intelligence might to battle “one of the biggest and bloodiest terrorist waves in its history”. Why is this in my gratitude series? It is a good question, but a harder one was what to choose to be grateful for today. The flip side to terrorism, to death and pain is joy and life. I am grateful for that. For kindness, for every breathe. Today as I watched the news of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on the BBC I looked at my nearly one-year-old son. As he watched the screen he did not know what was happening. He was just fascinated by the lights and the noise. A panic started to rise in me. What kind of world is my son growing up in? The thought made me feel sad and I felt even more protective towards this beautiful little bundle.

But we must find the positive. The beauty in life. We must carry on and not let the terrorists win. They want us to be scared. To feel fear and change our behaviour. To hate each other and be sad. But we won’t. We will persevere. We will find the joy, the love, we will carry on with our lives. Today I am grateful for that.

Catch up on other days:

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What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 21 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for walking. The health benefits of a walk are numerous, and I also find it helps me clear my mind. My son also likes to nap in the pram so it is how I get a break. When I have a lot of work on I will go for a walk through the park to a coffee shop or café. Usually by the time I get there the baby is asleep and I can get some work done. The baby also loves walks, he looks around and finds everything fascinating. It also helps to work off some of the many biscuits I eat. London is beautiful and I love walking around, taking in all of the history. It makes me feel very grateful indeed.

Catch up on other days:

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What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day Twenty #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for good manners. I see a lot of stuff on social media, or overhear conversations where people complain about the lack of manners in today’s society. And that is sometimes true, but in my experience there are plenty of people with good manners. For every person who does not thank you when you open the door for them (yell ‘you’re welcome’ at them. It’s really satisfying) there are people who go out of their way for you. I remember struggling to get the pram and the shopping through the door of my apartment block and having a man in a van stop, roll down the window, and ask if he could help. I told him it was okay as I did not want to inconvenience him, but another two people also offered to help in this instance. I see a lot of this when I am out and about with my son. People holding doors, smiling, offering to help with shopping, even giving advice. It makes me happy. The worst is when people are not only rude, but also ungrateful. Ingratitude is one of the worst traits a person can have. So let’s all think of some things we are grateful for today. It leaves you feeling happier and healthier. Promise.

Catch up on other days:

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What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day Nineteen #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for the weekend. It is a strange one as a self employed freelancer: we can make our own hours. But my husband works a Monday-Friday 9-5 job and weekends means out family is together. We do have to work or study on weekends sometimes but we manage to carve out some happy family time, and that is what life is really about.

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30 Days of Gratitude Day Eighteen #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for music. I love music and it is very rare that there is not some background music on in our house. I don’t have a favourite type of music. In fact, I don’t think anyone does. If a song is good, who cares what genre it is? Music can make us happy or sad, it can get us going and it can lift us up. Nothing evokes a memory like a song, some songs I cannot even listen to anymore because they bring up a bad experience, others make me smile. So today I am grateful for music. Here are some songs I love at the moment.

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30 Days of Gratitude Day Seventeen #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for nap time. I love my son of course, but sometimes I really need his nap time to get some work done or recharge. Parenting is hard and any break, big or small, can make all of the difference to the day. My son always looks gorgeous when he is sleeping. The family cat, below, is almost as cute but not quite.

Catch up on other days:

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30 Days of Gratitude Day Sixteen #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for magazines. I love reading magazines and I subscribe to many. They are one of the small pleasures in life. Some people have been rude about my love of magazines, I have been told to read books instead (I do read books, thanks. It is possible to read both). In fact, once while I was in a queue to buy a magazine the man in front of me turned and sneered at my choose of purchase and said, ‘You should go and buy a book love’. Seriously, what a tosser. All of those people who told me I was wasting my time reading magazines were wrong because now I am a freelance writer and publisher. I have been in some of those magazines I idolised in my youth. Below is an old picture of Glamour. I have read Glamour from the very first issue and I love it. It is such a great, empowering magazine. What magazines do you love?

Catch up on other days:

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30 Days of Gratitude Day Fifteen #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Half way through and today I am grateful for chocolate. A little too grateful the scales will attest, but grateful nevertheless. I eat chocolate pretty much everyday. I am trying to stop so my son does not grow up with bad habits so if anyone knows of anything as yummy as chocolate for pudding then please let me know. I will be so grateful.

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