October has been a super busy month. My motto this month has kind of been “work hard, play hard”, as I realise that, sometimes, we can be unhappy not because we are doing too many things we don’t like, but because we aren’t doing enough of what we do like. 

I realised that when I wholeheartedly do something I enjoy, then my cup is refilled two-fold. This month, due to lack of internet and many many wifi issues, I’ve been enjoying various other kinds of entertainment.

I wholeheartedly recommend Audible’s The Sandman – it is so good. I’ve also been back on the Korean drama binge and finished Crash Landing On You, which is also amazing and has all the feels. And absolutely loved reading Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne. 

Reading back on my daily gratitudes, I also realise how much I talk about food. I did try pistachio flavoured gelato for the first time ever – and it sure won’t be the last time! So here is my October gratitude journal, where I try to refill my cup:

1 Hubby: grateful for the hubby today. We have had wifi issues for a little while and he organised to get it fixed. Lo and behold, it is mostly fixed. We have working wifi! Grateful for the hubby for also taking on a lot of stuff as I am quite busy with work. And grateful for the hubby for understanding that I’ve been working late in the evenings a lot recently.

2 Progress: super grateful for progress today. Things have been languishing a little but finally a few things are moving forward. Hooray for little steps of progress!

3 Several things today. Grateful for a lie in, grateful for hair oil, grateful for podcasts, grateful for painting, grateful for the audio series The Sandman – Act 2 is out now. Grateful for co-op video games, Korean dramas, and blogging. Just grateful for a day of no chores and refilling my cup. Definitely feel creating and actively consuming content is better than mindless scrolling. In fact, having spotty internet these past couple of weeks may be a blessing in disguise, as it’s been reducing my internet/ media/ news consumption.

4 Past me: grateful for past me today. I knew this would be a super busy week so I previously made sure to make some easy dinners so I didn’t have to spend too much time cooking. It’s the little things.

5 Authentic conversations: grateful for authentic conversations today. Just talking with friends and colleagues and vibing, it is good to know you have people behind you and supporting you. Grateful for these people and grateful that we resonate at the same frequency. Grateful to feel celebrated.

6 Support network: grateful for a very supportive support network today. Hubby did the cooking and organised a few things. Colleagues were very helpful and patient with me today. Grateful for these people in my life.

7 A couple of things today. Grateful for the hubby, running errands and helping me, and also offering very soothing hugs. Also grateful for some dear friends, one of whom will be visiting the UK soon. Grateful for these people bringing joy into my life.

8 Refilling my cup: grateful for this today. Had dinner with friends, followed by gelato. In fact I was introduced to pistachio flavoured gelato today, and I must say, it is pretty tasty indeed. Grateful for prosecco and conversations, grateful for witnesses and laughter, grateful for briefly walking down memory lane and sharing dreams for the future.

9 Sleep: super grateful for sleep and a lie in this morning. Last night was a late one and I needed some time to recharge my batteries.

10 A couple of things today. Grateful for Crash Landing On You, which I’ve finally finished and wow what a complete rollercoaster of emotions. And grateful for the hubby because I get to spend every day with him and he brings me so much joy and happiness.

11 Hubby: grateful for the hubby today. Making cups of tea and making dinner. Grateful for the hubby for sorting out some life admin too.

12 Reading: grateful for reading today. Well, last night, I suppose. Read some more of Ariadne, which is getting really good, practically could not put the book down. Grateful for this compelling and interesting read, making me look forward to reading again tonight.

13 Eco products: grateful for eco products and eco companies today. We ordered reusable items to be a more sustainable household and reduce one time use of plastic – and the items arrived today! It was cool opening them up and seeing how they work. Grateful for these companies doing their part and encouraging people to be more environmentally friendly.

14 Reading: grateful for reading again. Been reading a lot more than usual and absolutely loving the prose of Jennifer Saint, it’s so beautiful reading her words. Grateful for storytelling, first person perspectives, and different viewpoints.

15 Hot chocolate: grateful for hot chocolate today. Winding down and just chilling this evening has been wonderful. Working pretty flat out recently, I feel this evening is the first evening in a while where I’ve just sat on the sofa and did absolutely nothing. It was good.

16 A few things today. Grateful for painting, we are doing Paint by Numbers of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and the colours are so bright and colourful, I love orange. Grateful for Neil Gaiman, as we are also listening to Part 2 of The Sandman on Audible and he is a talented writer and narrator. Grateful for book stores and poetry and the power of words.

17 Catch ups: grateful for catch ups today. Had a little triple date get together and it was nice chatting and hearing stories and adventures.

18 Progress: grateful for progress today and powering through. Sometimes it feels like two steps forward and one step back. Other times, to get past an obstacle, you just have to go directly through it – head first. So I’m grateful for a little bit of progress today and hopefully future me will be very appreciative.

19 Internet: grateful for the internet today. Wifi has been shoddy and have been hotspotting off my phone to work every now and then. So it’s made me realise how much we rely on the internet for every day things.

20 Skincare: grateful for skincare and moisturiser today. Almost ran out but my little pot of cream arrived today and it’s so soothing and lovely. Super grateful for the good timing too.

21 Jennifer Saint: grateful for this author today. I was reading Ariadne before bed and was gripped by it, reading about – what I think, anyways – might be post partum depression. It was eye opening and really intriguing reading those passages. Grateful for this author including such passages in her writing.

22 It Takes Two: grateful for this really fun video game today. The hubby and I played it for a little bit this evening and it was so much fun. I like puzzle solving and collaborative games and the mechanics were just really really fun to play.

23 Several things today. Grateful for macarons, as we had them for the first time since 2019 and they were pretty good. Grateful for catch ups as we had a triple date night with some friends. Grateful for authentic Italian food. Had a bite of the best lasagne I’ve ever had, the creamiest thing ever. And probably the best tomato sauce I’ve had in a super long time. Grateful for quiet little pubs with really good vibes. Grateful for Christmas decorations and Christmas trees and baubles.

24 A couple of things today. Grateful for sleep as I slept in quite late this morning, recuperating and recharging my batteries. Grateful for catch ups as I had a video call with a dear old friend who I haven’t spoken to in a while.

25 A couple of things today. Grateful for stretching, helping me maintain better posture. Grateful for the hubby and One Note, which I used for the first time ever today, with the help of the hubby. Super useful and enables better productivity.

26 Reading: grateful for reading today. Yesterday I finished Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne and it was beautiful. I didn’t know the full stories of Ariadne or her sister Phaedra so I was thoroughly gripped. Such good reading and it helped me drift off to sleep very quickly too. Grateful for Saint’s beautiful descriptive, almost poetic, prose. And grateful for Greek mythology, just love these stories.

27 A few things today. Grateful for catch ups, as I had a catch up call with friends who I haven’t spoken to in a while. Grateful for progress, as things are progressing really well recently. Grateful for work, as I’ve been feeling very accepted and appreciated. Grateful for sheet masks, as it has helped reduce redness and made my skin feel super soft this evening.

28 Perspective: grateful for a different perspective today. I was stressed out this morning but calmed down later after reorganising some things. It’s all about perspective and optics. It reminds me of saying “I get to exercise” instead of “I have to exercise”, or saying “let’s play around with this” instead of “I have to fix this”. Language and data display are powerful things.

29 Music: grateful for music today, keeping me upbeat and awake working through the day. I’ve had a Halloween song stuck in my head and it’s so entertaining.

30 A few things today. Grateful for sleep and having a lie in to recuperate and recharge. Grateful for writing to process and think things through. Grateful for distractions, we watched Confessions of a Shopaholic and it was really entertaining. 

31 A few things today. Grateful for friends, as I had a well overdue brunch with some friends. So grateful for them supporting and listening to me, it’s so lovely having a fully engaging conversation and sitting at a table where I’m fully celebrated and not just tolerated. Grateful for sharing different perspectives and dreams and fears. Grateful for having authentic and deep conversations. Grateful for refilling my cup and simply having my soul understood.