Can you believe that half of 2016 has zoomed by ? Here I was in January, still reeling from the unexpected trip to India, packing & unpacking suitcases, figuring out things in life, when suddenly I realize it’s February - by the time we returned to the US and here we are now in July - waiting for the second half of the year to unwind. I am not going to bother saying the age-old cliched punch line of how quickly time has whizzed past us. Because before you know it, in a blink of an eye, it will be December and the holiday season will be upon us and then boom - ‘Happy New Year’ guys! :)
They say - ‘You never realize how quickly time flies when you’re busy having fun.’ Sure, I am having a lot of fun but I just can’t accept the fact that so much time has passed since. So instead I am just going to look back at the past month - June 2016.
Quite a lot of activities kept me busy during the first half of 2016 and one major activity was prepping for few shows & performances that were staged whole of last week May. I had a troupe of people visiting from Mumbai, India who needed to be hosted and driven around New York & New Jersey. The busy schedule that began in February ended on June 1st and eventually the curtains were closed on this life-changing chapter.
Needless to say, once our friends returned to India, we took a breather and chilled out the first weekend in June - catching up on much required sleep, lots of TV and little bit of shopping. Most part of the month went by without a fuss and I caught up on relaxing myself while still going about my other routines. As I look back, I can't help notice how easy-going the past month has been -
- Blogging - No matter how many excuses I make, I just can’t seem to escape the reasons why I was missing from the blogging world the past few months. So I am not even going to try. :) A major reason (read - not excuse) was when it came to finally sitting down to write, the right words wouldn't come out (whatever that means). I am sure I couldn’t label it as ‘Writer’s Block’ as I was able to elaborate on any given topic in my mind but at the end of the day, I wouldn't be happy with what I had written on my laptop. I did mention about this funny state of mind to Sid (who blogs at 'I Wrote Those') and Parul (who blogs at 'Happiness & Food') and they have been very supportive sharing tips on how to stay in touch with writing. Thanks guys ! Facing this mental fear was finally possible 2 weeks ago and apart from other fellow-bloggers’ support (that I always grateful for), I am also grateful to that unexplainable feeling that eventually made me clear my mind and just write.
- Reading - As I sat back, relaxed and contemplated on my writing, I could find a million reasons that catered to it in the first place and one of them is that my reading has hit an all-time low. For starters, I didn’t set any reading goals for 2016. Last December, when I joined a reading challenge that I liked - ‘Book Challenge by Erin’, I ended up backing out at the last moment owing to the unannounced trip to India. Since the challenge required 10 books to be completed in 4 months, I knew I wouldn’t be allotting time so much as to read even 2 pages in a month, thanks to the crazy schedule and rigorous travels. This time around though, I am leaving no stone unturned to give my best shot. So, for a quite obvious item, I am sure grateful that books always feature on my gratitude list since they make me feel happy. Here’s to all the wonderful books in the world. I plan to post book reviews for each book that I finish reading & you can also follow me on Instagram for more updates regarding this book challenge.
- Support from friends and family - Even though the people who visited last month were my friends, my association with few of them goes back as long as 15 years. So they are now an integral part of my extended family. It never felt as guests were coming over but more like my own family visiting me. I surely had a ball spending time with them as did the hubby and Baby Girl. At one point, they even made me forget my family back home in India. The silence of the house & the vacuum they had created, once the trip was over, was palpable. But it made me feel all the more grateful that I have such people & mentors in my life. On one hand, I had the company of such wonderful individuals while on the other hand, I had the unrelenting support of the darling hubby and my Baby Girl who never complained my intermittent absence (in between shows) and made sure I was 100% available to attend to my guests. As my friends complimented and as I experience everyday, I am grateful to have a caring & supportive hubby in this life. :)
- Pleasant surprises - June came with it's own share of surprises. From attending a premier show of 'The Secret Life of Pets' at Times Square-New York, to hearing great appreciation for my work from unexpected corners, to dancing and performing at picturesque locales (like a waterfront to live audience), to getting an instant job offer (was offered one right after the performance by a biggie dance company), to eating great food, to receiving surprise gifts & things I love, I had a wonderful time living all these experiences and feel grateful to the opportunities that come knocking at my door everyday.
Enough about me, now you tell me how did June treat you ? :)
What events of June 2016 are you grateful for ?
