Four months of gratitude & delights. And counting

In the blink of an eye, a third of this not-so-new year of 2024 has come and gone.

How has it been for you so far?

For me, one of the biggest highlights was recording things to be grateful for. Back in 2021, I faithfully recorded things my family and I were grateful for every week. Last year, I restarted this effort but on a more scaled-down level. A “look-back-over-the-whole-year” effort, rather than per week, with each of us in the family selecting a handful of major highlights we could give thanks for across 2023.

But this year, I decided to resume the endeavor, but with a major difference.

Instead of merely listing thanksgivings (important though they can be to uplift our spirits), I learned that it’s even better to pay attention to daily delights. By that I mean things that happen unexpectedly, but that are so pleasant, they really make our day in no small way.

I learned this from a NYT’s article published just before the start of 2024.

When The World’s Dark, Seek Delight

The article was written by author Catherine Price who has six published titles to her credit, including The Power of Fun (2021) and How to Break Up With Your Phone (2018). These titles alone made me want to run out and get a copy of each (except that I’m still waiting for my next paycheque!).

In the article, she suggests readers notice things in their daily lives that bring delight. Things like a pretty flower, a smile you share with a stranger, or the sight of a person playing a trumpet while riding a unicycle. According to Catherine, nothing is too small or absurd.

I found myself warming up to the idea right away. As she said in another part of her article: Far from being a frivolous practice, making a point to notice and share things we find delightful can improve our moods, outlooks, relationships, and even physical health.

And so I began to chronicle some things that surprised and delighted me each month, beginning with my…

…January Delights

In the first month of the year, I was thrilled by the delights of connections and reconnections. I…
…found three other dads like me keen to participate in a Bible reading plan for the whole year. Let’s face it: it’s a thick book to plow through daily for 365 days! Helps heaps to have fellow travellers on such a reading journey. (It’s May now, and we’re still going strong!)
…formally connected via email with a fellow blogger pal based in Copenhagen with an intent to maybe Zoom one day soon.
…reconnected with an ex-student who sent me a New Year’s greeting out of the blue.
…resumed visiting a favourite spot outdoors and was greeted by a beautiful butterfly that flitted past me like it was welcoming me on behalf of Mother Nature.

Then came my…

…February Delights

For the shortest month of 2024, my delights revolved around communities and conversations.
– One of my classes invited me to their BBQ and chalet event to celebrate the end of the academic semester. This was such a delight because I simply couldn’t remember the last time I received such an invite!
– I had the honour to affirm one of my students and his dream to pivot away from an accounting course to pursue nursing instead. His grandpa’s unfortunate passing was the trigger. What a precious moment it was to be in that space for a promising young man
– Had three separate, unexpected but delightful conversations with an ex-sponsor (when my wife and I did volunteer work over two decades ago), an ex-junior college mate, and an ex-colleague. Each conversation was life-affirming and soul-nourishing.
– Different neighbours up and down our apartment block popped by to drop off many delicious Chinese New Year snacks and delights at our home. Not traditionally my favourite time of the year, but this surprising show of kindness and sharing more than made up for my usual disdain for the season.

My Heady March!

Then came March, one of the longest months on the calendar. Meaning more delights, this time in the area of writing!

– At the start of the month, I attended a writers’ workshop for a platform that had reached out to invite me to write for them. It was delightful to be among other writers and to hear their joys and challenges with writing. Made me feel less alone.
– Another delight I had was meeting a local author up close and hearing her journey from ideation to publication. Inspiration I need for my dreams to one day publish.
– A major delight this month was learning about improv theatre. Recognizing how other creative genres can also inform and spark ideas for my writing, I eagerly signed up for a free three-day workshop by a local playback theatre practitioner that resulted in not one, not two, but three blog posts for the month! Talk about reaping dividends.
– Finally, this month saw me attend an hour-long talk by a prolific local author of graphic novels on how to overcome writer’s block. Though writer’s block isn’t a major concern for me, it never hurts to pick up more tips cause you know, “never say never”, right?

April Delights

In April, my delights had more to do with family.
– I finally saw my 15-year-old read a thick print novel after nearly two years spent mostly on screens! As a concerned parent, frequent writer, and a constant advocate for reading, I can’t tell you what a delightful sight it was.
– At the start of the month, my 13-year-old and I were nearly hit by a careless cab driver who suddenly filtered into our lane without warning. By God’s grace, he narrowly missed knocking into us. It was at that moment a great relief, but also now on hindsight a blessing and delight. Especially when our nation was stunned towards the end of the month by a tragic but avoidable car collision that killed two passengers (including a 17-year-old junior college student on the way to a school event).
– After protesting for an hour, we finally managed to get our reluctant boys out of the house during a public holiday on April 10. Despite the rocky start, the outing proved eventually a great delight as we had a relatively cool weather that allowed us to play a bit of family soccer near the grandstand of Singapore’s Formula 1 venue.
– Was absolutely stoked to publish essays about parenting and family on two different platforms for the first time, one on 1 Apr and another on 15 April. Hoping for more breakthroughs like that in coming months.

And for more delights to record in the remaining months of 2024!