Its not been an easy year for me on various accounts. The pain of shifting to our new house was accompanied by total dissatisfaction with the way the house was handed over to us. The builder put us under tremendous financial pressure from which we are yet to recover.

But looking back now, my blessings outweigh the problems. I am now blessed with great neighbors and an open space which our family enjoys.

Its a different matter that there is only 2 swings for 900 families (at least they gave that!) and there is no community hall. So classes are held in a small place meant for laundromat. (For the dance class, the teacher and the students take turns to do the steps. They can’t do it together cause there is no space at all!)

What else to expect when you get a tiny 8 X 12 feet space for conducting classes for 900 families!

And the less we talk about the yoga classes and residents’ meetings, the better! The meeting is held in the lawn, with residents doing jigs and clapping dances to avoid mosquito bites.

But at least, we got our apartment. There are so many families who are waiting eagerly for their dream houses to be handed over!

With the year crowded with a lot of negative feelings (for me, at least – hubby dear is warm and positive, as always!), I wanted to bid this year good bye by counting my blessings. By looking at the brighter side of things. By thanking  everyone and everything that makes our stay in this planet worthwhile.

By expressing my gratitude.

•  I am thankful for my family for being there for me, always. My family has been with me through every patch of my life – guiding me if I am lost, scolding me if I am wrong, assuring me if I am not confident and loving me irrespective of everything. I cannot express my gratitude in words to you! My older brother flew in to Chennai on the day my son was born. He left for Bangalore the same evening, and came back a day later, per the original plan!
• I am thankful for my in-laws- for teaching me that family is not always about blood. I am grateful for having wonderful parents-in-law, great sisters-in-law & co-sister and a cool brother-in-law. None of them are plotting/ planning/scheming villain types the TV serials make out in-laws to be!

• I am grateful for the world of internet, the wonderful world of blogging and the thrill of being able to be part of it. Blogging has helped me in more ways than one. I have developed a taste for photography, though its associated with food and kids at this stage. I am grateful for being a part of the Blogging Marathon group, my blogging would have stopped long back if not for your support, guys!

• Right from my bachelor days to this moment, I have been blessed with great neighbors. It is a true blessing to be  able to get along well with the faces you see everyday. I miss Mittu and having my cousin nearby, but then you just have to go wherever life takes you!

• I am grateful for our new house. Its taught us a lot of lessons – not to go just for brand name, don’t judge the package from outside and most importantly, to read the finer print in an agreement and understand the implications. Despite the disappointments, I am glad that the society and the open space there makes the place great to live. 

• I am grateful for being married to a guy who is cool and level headed. I am just the opposite. I get tensed, angry, worried, anxious and guilty easily. Its hubby’s thankless job to bring me back to sense whenever I start off on something or the other.

• I am grateful for a whole lot of other things too, but the biggest blessings are time and health. I am grateful for each and every moment, day, week and year I get to spend here in this world. I am thankful a ‘healthy’ 2012.

Hope 2013 brings in a lot of happiness and satisfaction to everyone!

Happy New Year :-)

I am sending this post to Valli’s ‘Best of the Year 2012’ event.