Merci!

Zig Ziglar once said: “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for."

There are times when we wish we could say a personal thanks to each person that appreciates the work we do. Yet, the practicality of that exercise may diminish that intent. This is, thus, an opportunity to say thank you. This is to appreciate all readers out there who spur us on. You push us beyond the love we have for writing, creativity, and running our imaginations wild.

You are one reason we smile when there is no one around. We smile on the street, while we walk, on the bus and the train, and in our quiet moments when no one is looking. You push us to our pens and notebooks, to our laptops and our desks at ungodly hours and inconvenient times.

Our creative juices run dry and we ask why make all the effort? Who the hell is reading what we have penned down? Your appreciation wakes us and drives us. My dad once said to me: "Saying thank you is vital; it strengthens the giver to do more." I couldn't agree more. I can almost say it increases a sense of well-being.

The shutdown started and I wrote more. I wrote as often as one article per week and sometimes one per month. Then life happened. I got entangled in other commitments. The killing of George Floyd happened. I got word that hoodlums raped a young lady from my alumnus. Many things were happening and my writing frequency plummeted.

I wondered how long I would stay in ‘limbo’. As a writer, I had an idea of the tempo I wanted to maintain and sustain. I have this habit of being conscientious with things. My writing was not excluded. I had ideas of things I wanted to write but with lack of drive and the mournful state of the world, I wasn’t quite sure.

Every morning I would wake up and stare at my visual board which, among many things, has my daily to-do list. I would look at it, nod in agreement at certain items on the list but decide; “not today and the next day and the day after that”. Until last night I retired quite early due to a nagging headache then found myself awake at 12 midnight. The visual board greets me again and I nod again.

I listen to a lecture online and as I round up; I see the visual board again and I say to myself: “Can I write this article now?” This wasn’t planned for today… ” The internal dialogue continues. This time around, I get to it because I am beginning to fear the undoing power of procrastination.

As expected, there are topics I am more inclined to write about and enjoy doing so. Having said that, a few friends have wondered why I do not write health-related topics. They say it's my forte. My answer: It's an integral part of my life. This platform and others like it share stories on my other life interests. Maybe I will wander off in the direction of my forte in the future. Nothing is cast in stone.

Reiterating, thank you once again for spurring me on in these dark times. Thanks for pushing me when life has tried to push me over. Thanks for giving me a reason to keep the creative juices flowing. Thanks for making me smile when most things spell gloom and thanks for being you. Gracias!