Published by Ritu at Things To Rave About - Indian Food Blog| Indian Lifestyle Blog | Indian Travel Blog
Ms. Sunshine
I had been wanting to write about optimism and share my personal transformation story for a long time. So here is how it goes!
People say that the world has changed. They claim that it used to be a better place to live than it is today. The tabloids affirm this statement every day with news on global warming, increasing pollution, alarming crime rate and falling economies. Sometimes it seems that this is all everyone talks about. It can be emotionally draining to discuss what is wrong with the world. And since I wanted to look at the bright side of life so I say the world has not changed around me.
The sun rises everyday giving us the opportunity to start afresh, birds chirp in the trees in my front yard singing cheerfully like they did years ago, the green grass of my lawn invited me to feel it bare foot and refresh my mind, my loved ones caring for me and worrying about me just like they used to years ago. My world has not changed completely.
I was not always optimistic like this in fact I was the complaint box you would have ignored from miles away. I was never grateful for what I was given, something was always wrong and I left no stone unturned to let everyone around me know how awful my life was. I drove people away and continued being dissatisfied more from my life.
And then one fine day while I was happily finding faults with me in the mirror, I received an International call. It was an odd time for my family to be calling from India so I knew something was wrong. I picked up with my heart beating in my mouth and heard news that made the hair on the back of my neck stand.
My sister had called to inform me that my father had been hospitalized because he was breathing problems and during Angiography the doctor found two of his arteries 100% blocked and one partially blocked. My father was now going in for Angioplasty to have stents placed into his arteries.
For what seemed like eternity, I could not comprehend what I had just heard. I kept asking God why me? Why my family? Two days passed by slowly and my father, after a successful Angioplasty, was sent home with a prescription of strong blood thinners and bed rest.
After one week he decided to talk to me and spoke very slowly. I had tears rolling down my cheeks for finally getting to hear his voice. I acted bold and told him that I knew he would make it. He had the desire of seeing his daughter, me, and I wished to catch a glance of him too. He still asked me to stay in Sweden until my husband’s assignment finished and then come back with free mind. I obliged. I knew I did not have the strength to see my father, once a strong man, into a frail body.
After thanking God a million times for saving my father’s life and blessing science for its inventions, I started analyzing my attitude. And as I dug deeper I got infuriated with my mindset for life. It seemed that I had been ungrateful for everything I had and greedy for anything I did not or could have.
Right then I decided to change my life by altering my attitude.
This was also the time when I discovered the wealth of information in non-fiction books. Many authors said the same things in different ways and the biggest advice that struck a chord with me was about being thankful for little things in life.
It was one of the most difficult tasks in the beginning for me to do since I was accustomed to finding faults. But slowly I started enjoying the little things in life and I ensured that instead of praying for asking blessings, I started praying for singing praise. Words of thankfulness to the Higher Power who created this perfect world. My prayers healed my heart and I transformed.
And now, everything gives me a chance to be optimistic – the rising sun, the thunder storm, beautiful flowers in my garden, the chance to sip tea in the evening with a book in my hand, my spouse’s laugh when we indulge in friendly banter, the love in my parent’s eyes and many more. I have hopes of a beautiful future and I do see a dream home somewhere in the paradise on this planet!
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