Tag: garden

Gratitude for Nature and Time Outdoors- Day 16 2025

Reflections

Four days away from work and I finally feel refreshed. What a blessing! The funny thing is that now my brain feels like it has all its tabs open. I have not been able to focus on anything. I feel like I am in overdrive. 🤷🏽‍♀️

This year, my garden surprised me twice. The Bearded Iris that my aunt gifted me about 5 -6 years ago finally flowered. I was delighted. Today, I looked out the window and discovered that the onion I planted about a month or two ago rewarded me with four onions. I had to throw one away because it looked like a monkey or another animal had bitten into it. My lilies flowered for the first time in two or three years. I had been so disappointed the last couple of summers when they did not flower. I love lilies.

My onions
My Bearded Iris

I got to experience sunrises and sunsets in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Ballito this year. I am always in awe of Mother Nature’s work. She never paints the same picture twice and each one is breathtakingly beautiful.

The Blood Moon
Sunrise over Ballito
Path to the Beach in the south of Durban
Winter sunrise in Johannesburg
A view of Durban central from a soccer training field in Durban

All Pictures taken by the author

Let me leave you with a quote as always:

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

– John Muir

Image: Canva

What are some the wonderful experiences you have had with nature this year?

Thanks for popping in. Bye for now!

A Month of Gratitude 2024: Day 4

Hello There. I hope you had a good day today. Mine was manic, to put it politely. Despite this, it did yield a few moments that made me stop and think of the things I need to be grateful for.

Two Things I Am Grateful For

  1. My son came to work with me today. I love it when he does that. It reminds me of when I was pregnant and he went everywhere with me. He hates it now because it is terribly boring for him as a he is a teen but it doesn’t stop me from loving it 😊.
  2. My son has virtually grown up at our office. As a single mum, I have been extremely blessed to take him to work with me whenever I need to over the years. My colleagues would take turns entertaining him while I worked. I will always be grateful to my managers and colleagues for the support they have given me over the years. They have helped me make single parenthood look easy.

One Source of Joy

I love the Zen garden at our office. It is a very peaceful place even though it is close to a freeway. As I mentioned before, today was manic, but amid all the chaos, I could share a moment of peace with my son in the Zen garden. For a moment, it was just us, the trees and the chirping birds, who went about their business. And of course…coffee!

Our little piece of heaven at work

That’s it from me today. Share your moments of gratitude or joy in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

Bye for now!

A Month of Gratitude 2024: Day 2

Hello there! Another Monday done and dusted. Only four more in the year to go. That means there is still time to knock any outstanding 2024 goals out of the park or you have to reflect on what was and plan for what will be in 2025. So what put a smile on my face today?

Two Things I Am Grateful For and One Source of Joy

  1. Today, I am grateful for the teams I work with. No matter what the day brings, there is always time and space for a joke or a bit of silliness. A number of my colleagues have moved to the UK over the past year or two, and one of the most difficult adjustments they have faced has been the lack of connection with people at work. Some people don’t even know the name of the person sitting opposite them. So yes, I am very grateful for the teams I work with. They know my name and a little something about me and vice versa.
  2. I love starting the work week at home. We work hybrid, so I work from home two days a week. It means that as an introvert, I can enjoy the people I work with and have pockets of alone time to regenerate my energy throughout the day.
  3. One source of joy today was enjoying a cup of coffee in my little garden in the middle of the day. Although it was overcast, it didn’t stop the birds and insects from doing their thing. I love those moments. There is a whole world going on in my garden, and I am in awe of it.

On that note, I will leave you with a short quote from Karl Barth about the connection between gratitude and joy. They are inseparable.

Image created on Canva

Thanks for popping by. Let me know what made your day today in the comments or drop me a link to your gratitude post.

Bye for now!🌼