happiness and food

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

It sure feels like a long time since I was here. The second half of 2020 was a blur this side and towards the last quarter, even more. I continued to be grateful but wasn’t able to share as much on this space. After many years, I did not have a yearly recap and it was okay to let life take over.

Now that 2021 is here, the world seems to heal and we are all settling in, I wanted to thank my stars and count my blessings. So in no particular order, here are a few things that made me smile in January.

♥ VT and I rang in 2021 together in our new home. These were our first few days and with hardly anything at home, ready to eat parathas and curries came to our rescue. I remembered to get some cake and that sure was my cherry. I am grateful that we were together and hopeful of good times.

♥ The new community that I live in is slowly getting self sufficient. I get my greens, groceries and all that I need around and within the apartment complex. VT and I have found our new mom and pop stores too. I am grateful that we are both able to adapt and adjust.

♥ Falling into our respective workout routines was easy. VT started his walks and I got back to my Yoga and workout sessions. While I was sweating it out indoors, VT explored our beautiful neighborhood university campus. I am grateful for all the flora there. The trees, the roads, the flowers and all about the campus is so beautiful that I look forward to my weekend mornings.

♥ With the new place, I brought some more friends to my plants and now we have a party. I am grateful for nurseries around and that my little plants are blooming. I love the yellow, pink, red around and dare you go green.

♥ I am grateful that I burnt less food and cooked better this month. This good fortune happened on its own and I owe it to an Instagram handle that I loved learning from. If you want to look up easy peasy Indian curries, follow That Indian Curry.

♥ I found a help and she helps me brush up my Kannada speaking skills. Can’t be more grateful to delegate house chores so that I can focus on myself.

♥ Always grateful for friends in India or those far away in US. Over the month, we caught up on conversations, careers and life.

♥ Three birthdays in the family and grateful for Mum, C and this little home of mine. Did you know this blog turned 8 this year?

I cleaned, cooked and crocheted in January. It’s like beginning to find new things to learn and explore. I also downloaded Strava just for fun. And I love finding new workout challenges there and work on my health goals. I walked 75 kms in January and worked out for 22 hours. My goals were 100 kms of walk and 30 hours of workout in January but hey, I am not complaining. The Fitbit weekly challenges with my workout partners from US are also back and I enjoy a little bit of competition.

In between my sunrises, things stable at home and VT and I getting in the groove of a monotonous life in Bangalore, I can’t complain. Sometimes I wonder and I know that it is all about perspective. What we went through the last four months of 2020, the usual now feels like a blessing.

So here’s what I would say as I sign off.

Be grateful. Your boring life is what someone needs now.

---

Linking up with Vidya Sury for Gratitude List, January 2021