I hope you enjoy listening to Amadou & Mariam, a musical duo from Mali. Amadou lost his vision at the age of 16, while Mariam became blind at age five as a consequence of untreated measles. Known as “the blind couple from Mali”, they met at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind, where they both performed at the institute’s Eclipse Orchestra, directed by Idrissa Soumaouro and found they shared an interest in music.
I want to build a Tower of Gratitude. Here is how it came about:
We had just begun the first day of 2024. I was standing by the window, looking outside. All I could from my apartment with its amazing view was white. Still, I could not see further than the hills.
“Phew,” I thought and caught myself feeling the echo of that exact word inside me.
“Don’t let the falling snow dampen your mood on New Year’s first Day,” came another whispering voice within.
All these different voices operating within us, dragging our minds and emotional states in various directions –depending on whether we hear them consciously and which thoughts we feed into. In this case, I listened to the second murmur. It was white as far as I could see, but the white winter created brightness. It could have been raining and dark. With those thoughts, I jumped into the gratitude zone.
Of course, I longed for sun and warmth without the cold wind freezing us to icicles. That’s how it’s been here for the last couple of days in Oslo. On the other hand, I have a home and a roof over my head. Something I am grateful for because there are many who don’t have that.
That is why my writing colleague is collecting money for homeless people. Thank you, Todd, for your contribution to making the world a better place. Thinking about how I got to know Todd made me thankful for being part of the Wise and Shine blogger community, and our team’s unique writers.
How much we have in common
Being part of that community has allowed me to continuously read various writing styles, bonding through words and getting to know the people behind them. Their pen has been like a tiny window into their personal lives in different corners of the world. It always makes me think that even though we are all on intimate journeys within our own sphere, we have a lot in common. We are all humans on a mysteroíous journey called life.
Life as a human is both personal and impersonal simultaneously, as Caroline Myss always points out in her talks. I see so much truth in that.
Entering 2024 and looking at our common ground made me want to turn the whole New Year Resolution idea upside down. Instead of wanting to change or hope for something else(whatever that is), I wanted to build a tower of Gratitude. I wanted to use what I was grateful for in 2023 as bricks for shaping the Tower of Gratitude in 2024. From which I can stand and view my life from a higher perspective. For me personally, 2023 was a quiet year in many ways. It was also a year of adventure and new acquaintances.
The Santiago pilgrimage took me on a new experience and made me very grateful for my feet, which carried me over 860 km. I have developed a completely different relationship with my feet. Until that trip, I have always regarded them as the ugliest body part. That trip changed my view. I am super grateful for them. ( I know it sounds a bit crazy to regard the feet as the ugliest body part, but we all have our quirks.)
Speaking about that trip, I am reminded how it became possible, although, at one point, a financial surprise made me doubt that I could pull it off. I realized I could not give up without trying everything.
Trust and faith muscle
Everything fell into place and helped strengthen my trust and faith- muscle in life. So, thank you, the Great Mystery (In South — America, God is referred to as the Great Mystery. A word that resonates with me more than the word God) for facilitating that journey.
Economic surprises also make me think of the period in 2023 when several things in my bathroom broke. It was another unforeseen financial surprise. After getting the help of a friend to buy a chrome washbasin fitting with a hand shower, I needed a plumber. That simple job turned out to be more expensive than I had thought. I live in one of the world’s most expensive countries. Through my contacts, I received various offers. I chose the cheapest plumber, but he canceled the appointment on the day he was supposed to come. He apologized and informed me that he would arrive the next day—which he did. After he had finished the job, we agreed that he should send me an invoice. But it never came. I texted him several times, reminding him that I owed him money for his work.
To summarize, I have yet to pay for that job and get a reply. Something that made me think of him every time I was in the shower. (I hope you understand me here!) Yes, I have thanked him every time, wondering if he was alive and if everything was okay with him.
Everyday life miracles
Not long ago, I discovered (through my contact who had recommended him) that the plumber is alive, and all is fine with him. So why did he not send me the invoice? Did he want to give me that free service as a gift? Even though I might never get an answer to those questions, I often think of that episode as an everyday life miracle. It is so easy to forget these moments of help arriving from the middle of nowhere.
He was a person who showed up when I had a tight financial situation and made me see how the universe works in mysterious ways.
While wrapping up this post, I want to say that giving thanks doesn’t mean that 2023 granted me all that I wanted, but looking back I see 2023 gave me what I needed. And that fills me with GRATITUDE. That is why I want to shape a tower of appreciation from which I can stand in and approach life in 2024.
What about you? What are you grateful for in 2023, and what will you build your 2024 from?
I wish all the readers and writers of the Wise and Shine blogger community a Happy New Year.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Wise and Shine and reading this post. If you have not already subscribed to Wise and Shine, you can do it here. You can also follow me on my blog, Instagram or Spotify ( Movement Coach Parisa)