Do you find the "new lifestyle" under lockdown rather Zen in some ways? Are you feeling grateful for some things?
I imagined calling this the lock down special but I guess I won't because that's the new normal right now and it might very well become THE normal in future. I see us making a habit of wearing masks when we go out because the pandemic will very likely continue before the world is completely safe.
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Firstly, I am feeling grateful to those who are tirelessly working to make the world better, to heal it and to those who deliver our essentials so we can live comfortably as we stay home, stay safe. I don't know what we'd do without them especially when we can't step out.
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Feeling grateful to the farmers who bring their trucks of produce to the neighborhood and are kind and friendly to the shoppers. Thankful we are eating healthier. Of course, we could do with more activity but there's a solution to that.
Feeling grateful that as a family, we have the habit of walking together every evening on our terrace. Then we come back and exercise in our living room. Quite a comic sight, that. Would show you pictures but I have not clicked any and I wouldn't risk the wrath of my family by doing so. Forget sharing! But I treasure the joy of watching and doing. It is so much fun.
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Mental health is crucial during this time and we make sure we are busy with our work. We sit together quietly for 12 minutes every evening and call it meditation. It helps. And we find ourselves smiling for no reason after we do that. Why 12 minutes? Well, why not! Grateful for this!
Feeling grateful for good health. During this lock down, we understand that it is important to stay healthy and look after ourselves. We're eating healthy. Sleep habits must improve and I am trying to improve. My trigger was my high fasting blood sugar and that's enough to put the fear into me.
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Feeling grateful for our nice neighbor who's a pleasure to interact with. I await the day when we can all get together again and walk in and out of each other's houses. For now, we are making do with chatting across the landing. Always wonderful to have nice things to look forward to.
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Feeling grateful for the lady who collects the garbage at our door. it must be tough for her to continue to work during the lock down. Building maintenance has to go on and we're thankful to the security staff and other workers who do their jobs cheerfully!
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Feeling grateful to our security guard who keeps an eye out for vegetable and fruit carts and phones us when one passes by so we can go and get things at our gate without going out. Fresh stuff. How fortunate we are!
Feeling grateful for the internet that makes working from home possible. Not just work, but also entertainment because we depend on it for the most part. Bingeing on shows. Watching movies. Makes for some wonderful family time together.
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Feeling grateful to enjoy being creative with my cooking. Case in point, no-yeast bread. Here's the thing. Our family likes bread. Me, not such a big fan but occasionally, yes, I like toast loaded with veggies. Now unless we go out, we can't buy bread. What to do? I decided to try baking a loaf. No yeast. Ugh, what to do?
I make cake that turns out fine without the conventional ingredients like butter or eggs, so why not the same thing with bread? I mean, what's there to lose? I made my first attempt with little buns and they turned out fine, if a little dense. We were okay with that because we were too happy about actually turning out something edible! Bolder, I tried a loaf. Look what I made:
And now, I am a bit blasé about baking an emergency loaf. It isn't too much trouble and we likely have all the ingredients already. I posted the recipe on my food blog. Pin it for later, if you like.
I am pretty thrilled! Next, I am going to try baking garlic bread from scratch. Grateful to have all these experiments turning out successful! And the aroma at home? Wonderful!
I also baked a whole wheat eggless apple cake with no added sugar that was delicious. Will post that recipe soon!
Work-wise, it has not been a good phase and so my income has taken a severe hit. But I am hoping that this too shall pass and that things will look up, perhaps sooner than later.
All through April, as work was almost nonexistent, I focused on blogging, participating in the A to Z Challenge, blogging daily except on Sundays. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing.
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We are expecting the lock down to ease soon. We hope we are flattening the curve with social distancing. I am grateful for all the lessons in self-sufficiency, living more minimally, buying less, shopping consciously and appreciating what we have-food, shelter, clothing and all the amenities we need to live comfortably.
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How has April worked out for you?Are you feeling grateful?
What are you looking forward to in May?
Join me for the April 2020 Gratitude Circle blog hop!Do join me with your own posts.
As always, please note:To join the Gratitude Circle blog hop, you can write about anything that made you feel good. It is not mandatory to write about your personal life. Or list personal things you are grateful for. You have the freedom to share anything that made you feel good. A happy event. Something you saw. An experience. A place. Something that brought you happiness. A lovely book you read that filled you with joy. Anything. I repeat, it need not be personal at all.
- Write your posts.
- Add the badge.
- Link to my post. ♥ (to validate your entry to the linky)
- Add your post link to the linky below.
- Comment and say hello here.
- Mingle and engage
