Week 51: Appreciation
I was going to publish a different blog this morning.
Waking up to the news out of Bondi sent a shockwave through the Jewish community and, of course, across Australia.
I have a dear friend in Bondi and, as I write this, I still don’t know if she and her family are OK. She is deeply ingrained in the Jewish community in Sydney, and her heart has been ripped open too many times over the past few years watching what has unfolded. Moments like this stop you in your tracks. They remind you how fragile ordinary days really are.
What I want to write about today, and it feels especially relevant for this time of year, is appreciation. Gratitude. Whatever you want to call it.
Every day is a gift. We truly don’t know what’s around the corner. Yet we spend so much time looking ahead or replaying the past that we don’t sit in the present for long enough. How often do you talk to a friend without checking your phone? Could you leave the house without it? Do we actually listen when we are with other people, or are we half somewhere else?
I have had the absolute privilege of being given a second chance at life. Because of that, every day I am grateful for the opportunity to touch someone’s life, even briefly. Every conversation matters. Every interaction has weight, whether we realise it or not.
There are three words we don’t say often enough, and when we do, how much meaning do we really put into them?
When was the last time you asked, “How can I help?” or “What do you need?” and actually had the time to sit, connect, and care?
We live such busy lives now. Memories are quick and fleeting, and if it’s not on your phone, it can feel like it didn’t happen. This time of year is meant for celebration, but it can also be incredibly hard for some. If there’s anything we can take from what happened in Bondi, it’s this: appreciation.
Appreciation for where you live. For who you have around you. For the fact that you woke up this morning.
For every conversation, good, bad, or ugly.
We are incredibly lucky to be able to communicate, to connect, to show up for one another in any way at all.
When life throws something big at you, chronic health issues, grief, a diagnosis, your perspective shifts. You learn what matters quickly. Life doesn’t stop throwing challenges our way, but it’s our response that determines the path we walk.
Gratitude isn’t always front of mind. Stress has a way of drowning everything out. But when we slow down and actually notice what’s around us, that’s where the beauty lives.
With all the technology available to us, there are endless ways to remind ourselves. Set a reminder three times a day. Stop. Breathe. Thank the person next to you. Look around and find something to be thankful for, there is always something. Step outside. Nature has an incredible way of grounding us and slowing us down when everything feels loud.
I don’t know what floats your boat, but find it. And after last night, don’t put it off.
Last week, my husband brought me flowers out of the blue for doing something that benefited us. It wasn’t expected. It wasn’t necessary. But it meant a lot. One small, thoughtful act can make a bigger impact than we realise. I’m not saying buy flowers , I am saying the words, the gestures, the kindness matters.
So this week, appreciate your surroundings. Where you live. The opportunities you have. The memories you’re creating. And especially the people who make you smile. Tell them, and really mean it.
To those I don’t see often, don’t talk to enough, or haven’t had the chance to catch up with, I appreciate your friendship, your love, and the laughs we share. Life is too short, and we truly don’t know what’s in front of us.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.Today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.
Go out and tell someone you love them.
Today. And every day.
