Gratitude Journal - Week 2 - Palate for Style

Hello hello. Welcome back to another week in my gratitude journal.

It’s been 15 days into the new year and I am still going strong with my intention for 2018 aka gratitude. Am I a total rockstar or what!? 🤘🏽 *pats her back, raises fist into the air, twirls like a maniac and falls flat on her face*. Ok clearly not a rockstar yet. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Before any more mishaps happen, let’s get started with week 2..

1. Monday – 2 hours in traffic and getting my zen mode on!

It’s been raining alot in California and I absolutely love it. What I don’t love so much are the traffic jams that are a by-product of the rains.

I was stuck for more than 2 hours in traffic on Monday. I forgot to carry a book and headphones so the commute was, to say the least, frustrating. I was almost on the verge of turning into lady hulk! 🤷‍♀️

But then I centered myself, got my zen mode on and thought hard about how I can turn this situation into something pleasant. So I opened my notes app and started jotting down ideas for my blog. And just like that the crazy 2 hour time turned into a super productive sesh!

2. Tuesday – Tired, food and Monika’s rise to superhero status

I came home pretty late on Tuesday and had absolutely no mood/energy to cook. But a girl and a boy gotta eat so I mustered up the energy to quickly make something (we are limiting our eating out trips).

So I guess I am grateful for my inner strength and hmmm superhuman powers.. 🤔 #monika-the-superhero

3. Wednesday – The best instagram fam!

I love the poll feature on instagram stories. I may or may not be using it a tad bit too much. 🕺🏻

On Wednesday, I had a mini poll party asking a tonne of questions to get to know more about folks who actually take out time to watch my stories. And it was soo much fun! Never before have I seen so many of you participate in my polls. Woot woot! 🤙🏽 *isn’t this how cool people show their excitement!?*

But seriously, I am ever so grateful for the little community I have on instagram. I absolutely adore you all!

4. Thursday – Dancing, feeling foolish and still deciding to keep going!

I went for my first dance class of the quarter on Thursday. Not entirely sure how I feel about it..

I love Bollywood dancing. I don’t get the ‘h’ of hip-hop!

The routine I am learning now is a mix of hip-hop and Bollywood. Now you understand my dilemma – I don’t know whether I should be happy or run for my life. 🤷‍♀️

Nevertheless it was still so much fun to move my body. Granted I looked slightly ~~alot~~ foolish and did not get the steps, but I think I’ll be okay. After all, people (aka Monika) don’t call me superhero for no reason.. 🕺🏻

5. Friday – A super productive day at work

Friday was one of those days when I crushed my to-do list at work. I did have to work late into the night but it was all oh-so worth it because I felt exactly this way on closing my laptop for the weekend.. 👇🏽 #monika-and-her-never-ending-quest-to-look-cool-attempt-10897

6. Saturday – Mindless chats with Mr. M aka the boy

I cook. Mr. M cleans the dishes. That’s the little arrangement we have.

Saturday was spent finishing the last book of the Harry Potter series while the boy cleaned the dishes/kitchen. In between, there were tonnes of mindless conversations and laughs.. This guy seriously has the most weirdest/randomest questions and he expects me to answer them all.

When I took this pic he was in the middle asking (completely out of the blue) “Why did David Arquette cheat on Courtney Cox?” and forcing me to sing a made-up song about cows with him!

But you know I love these moments.. The mindless chats.. The crazy laughs.. It’s fun doing life with him. #monika-the-sappy-love-queen

7. Sunday – A clean home and spending time with friends

We try to get our house deep-cleaned atleast once in 2-3 months. Sunday was the day for it!

Superheroes have limits too you know.. 🤓 But in all seriousness, stop trying to do it all. Women especially have this innate need to excel at work and home. It takes a toll. If you can afford, outsource some of the work.

I am so thankful to be able to get some help when needed. Also, super grateful for apps that make finding help extremely easy. We use Thumbtack when looking for cleaning services and they have never disappointed. You can use them for finding anything – painters, plumbers, cleaners, photographers and so on. They connect you safely with the right people at the right prices!

We spent rest of the day at a friend’s place and it was the perfect end to the weekend. As much as I love alone time, there is a side of me that definitely is a social animal. Being so far from family ain’t easy but having friends that feel like family is a blessing. #monika-the-deep-thinker 👇🏽

How was your week? I hope you are always able to find something to be thankful for irrespective of how the day goes.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I’ll see you all soon.. – Love, M ❤️

Palate for Style