The challenge

So there's this thing called the "thankfulness and positive" challenge?

I was nominated by my cousin on Facebook to write down 3 things I am thankful for, for 5 consecutive days. I would be able to nominate 2 people each day to do the same. So, my cousin tagged me in her post, and I am not going to accept the challenge because I don't like doing such stuff on Facebook. I don't want to nominate anybody also as that's like pressuring them to post something they may not want to. Besides, you don't have to shout out loud what and who you are thankful for. Just keep that gratitude in your heart and thank the people face to face!

I am still going to write down a few things that I am thankful for, but they are not going to be for anyone. Of course, I am thankful for many people in my life but it should come more in the form of actions rather than words. Besides, they may not be reading this. Hence, this is just going to be about me, about the little things in life that we often take for granted.

1) I am thankful for my eyes and the ability to see.

Have you ever wondered what is the worst thing that you don't want happening to you? The thought of blindness scares me a lot. Sometimes I rub my eyes too much before I go to bed, and hope I won't spoil my eyes. My eyes aren't perfect you know, they are quite dry at times. When I was in poly, I had my first eye infection. It was during the exam time and I was having a hard time even trying to open my eyes because they were irritated and dry when I open them. It was so tough, I just wanted to study but I can't. The infection still comes to haunt me once in awhile. I really appreciate my eyes feeling moist and comfortable.

2) I am thankful that I can breathe, through my nose.

My lungs are fine. Though it scared me when the doctor told me I had white spots shown on my x-ray of the lungs during the mandatory poly checkup. It's mostly the problem of my nose. Allergy rhinitis, the doctor said. My nose is always sensitive and is prone to nasal congestion. It got quite bad recently, I don't know why. My nose is mostly partially blocked, even as I am typing now. I am thankful for the times that I can breathe properly without the thought of cutting off my nose.

3) I am thankful for the ability to move. 

The awareness of ALS has made me realized how great it is that we can move freely. I often remind myself to enjoy the jogging process, no matter how tiring it is, because I can run. Here, I also have to thank my too-small-for-my-body feet for bringing me around.

4) I am thankful to wake up every single day.

Yes, I am very lazy to wake up every day. But, it's a good feeling to wake up healthy and kicking. 

5) I am thankful to be a Singaporean.

Many people complain about Singapore, the weather, the policies, the housing, the money.... I do complain too. But there's no one policy that can make everyone happy. One have to look beyond and realize the bigger purpose. For example, the expensive COE is to regulate the number of vehicles on the road. If you decrease that, more people can own cars, more vehicles appear on the road, more jams will occur. Then, what's the point of a car if you take a longer time to reach your destination. There is always the good and the bad about everything. The key is to decide whether you want to focus on the positive or the negative. 

Other than point number 5, you can see that I am thankful for my general well being. Comparing to a lot of the people around me, I am considered to have a "weaker body". But, I have decided that I am still more fortunate. Instead of complaining and focusing on what I have less than others, I am thankful that it is only the small little things that are affecting me.

There's no FML in my dictionary. I look forward to more positive and wonderful things in life.