The 2008 Gratitude Post

When did Christmas ever mean anything? 14 years of a Christian upbringing, your parent’s scoffing at your denims on Christmas Eve and you suddenly declare December 25 as Holy? Sure, people could just tick you off by asking in all their plastic-faced glory why couldn’t everyday be a December 25. But that’s what they say, too, on Valentines and Thanksgiving. Pooh.

Christmas IS special and the holiday is a perfectly good excuse to get on the next trip to your parent’s city and not feel guilty gorging on that home baked ham.

I wish for the best this year and send off a fervent prayer thanking Him…

…for having a job that writers would kill for
…for friends that I would kill for
…for all of my shoeboxes that don’t yield to gravity yet
…for family that you can always go home to during the holidays
…for the second home that could almost buy me a Condo unit with the monthly rent I’m paying for
…for that sweet getaway in Bukidnon when you wanted no other air but nature’s.
…for the arm that is around me when I wake up in the mornings. sweetest thing in the universe, babycoo.
…for the mornings that I wake up asthma-free
…for my grandmas who are still around
…for renewing my relationship with mom – unconditional love at its best.
…for ATMs, credit cards and check books
…for my next door neighbor who’d harass me with her manuscript but wouldn’t think twice about being my In Case of Emergency person
…for the island of Cebu
…for Zero fares.
…for SUNCELL’s unlimited calls.
…for having a pretty cool Manager who doesn’t give a shit about what you do as long as you get to answer her questions at the end of the month…
…for the health insurance that supports my dysfunctional lungs
…for hair clips during those emergency brush offs

This list will forever be an understatement because there are so many things that I’ll continue to be grateful for. Everyday I see, hear, and feel gratitude hitting me up like a colossus. That woman in the street peddling with her breast jutting out. That guy who is talking to the HR right now. The kid who took 10 minutes to get on the jeep because of his leg. Experience all that and you would be keeping a daily journal of everything you are thankful for – but I guess my bandwidth would not allow that for sure. I saw that I haven’t been writing that much last year also and I felt bad because I had a foot long list of reasons why I should be writing everyday but sometimes the drive isn’t just there. What makes this year any different is definitely a good question to ask me.

So let’s see – I broke up with a stressful lover last year, watched Kaskade, hopped from one beach to another, met people who you normally do not see on my multiply albums, big adieu to my old title and welcomed a new department and until now, I’m still trying to understand what the fuss was all about when clearly, all I could ever show as a 2008 souvenir was another broken heart and a hospital bill that reminds me so much of an irresponsible lifestyle.

One thing I want to promise this year – stay healthy. Be healthy. No more hospital trips. Eating vegetables is a consideration. Be patient, I’ll go there.

My first 2009 shameless self-production. Candid. Honest. Personal. Happy New Year everyone!