My Gratitude List

Since Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday season always bring to mind the most heartwarming moments in our lives, I think it is appropriate to reflect upon the things that I have been blessed with this year.

They say home is where the heart is, but I believe home is wherever there is a nice warm heater and a stable Wi-Fi connection. I’ve lived in a guest house for the last 5 years in Japan. The heater was constantly malfunctioning, and the Wi-Fi was always spotty in my room. That’s why, the two first things I did when I moved to my own private, wonderful corner-room apartment was to purchase a kotatsu heater and sign a Wi-Fi contract with Softbank. From that point on, I have found myself to be bursting to the brim with appreciation and sheer bliss every time I step into my little tatami-laid apartment. If there is one thing I could put on my gratitude list this year, it is the sweet contentment of my own warm, private, Wi-Fi-secured space.

Another thing I have been exceedingly grateful for this year is the mild and comfortable fall weather which has been bestowed upon us by the great beings above.
Fortunately, because of this comfortable season I’ve been getting back out to explore the vast, boundless mountains in the Japanese wilderness. I’ve been to Okutama, Mitake, and Sagamiko, and I hope to be able to take my first steps into the fresh, unsullied snows of Karuizawa during this winter. If the weather had brought the typical trouble of typhoon terrors, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such great experiences in the wild this autumn.

The next item on my gratitude list to make it into the top three slots is more health-related and stems from the fact that I have been getting out of my house much more recently due to the enticing weather. I have felt the spark of motivation to exercise light up within me. It can be grueling to face the hot summer and force yourself to get out there and be active, but now that the autumn chill has come, I find myself with the sudden itch to release tension by going for a nice, long bike ride along the river and exploring the undiscovered secrets that lie in the fringes of my neighborhood. I bought a pretty, pink, bicycle this autumn, and I think it has been one of the best decisions I have made for myself in the last few years. Racing down the path, I can feel the wind rushing through my hair, the smell of the river wafting through the fresh air and pleasant singing of birds scuttling in the trees. I am suddenly able to scoot down to all kinds of new restaurants and parks that would have taken me hours to get to on foot in a jiffy.
Becoming a bike owner has opened up more possibilities for exploration than I ever could have fathomed. On top of that, it gets my heart beating to a decent rhythm, which has been a great substitution for cardio exercise I may have been lacking in the past.

I think everyone should take the time to make a gratitude list at the end of every year; that way, even if you think you have had a rough year, you can at least find three things that really weren’t so bad and it may give you a new perspective on what you have been able to accomplish or be blessed with this year.

Kailey

Vocabulary

bestowed (verb) – to give something as an honor or present
grueling (adjective) - extremely tiring and demanding
scoot (verb) – to go or leave somewhere quickly
jiffy (noun) - a very short time; a moment
fathom (verb) – to be able to comprehend or understand (usually something difficult)