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I first read about this amazing blog hop Gratitude hosted by the effervescent Vidya Sury and was keen to participate. With the limited time I have for blogging amidst my tight office schedule and a toddler at home, I couldn’t join. But I always felt writing this post is going to be such a wonderful experience, thinking of all the good things people, known and unknown did for you during the month which cemented the belief that the world is a good place, not everything is lost.

So here I am finally on a 2.5 month sojourn – all alone on a business trip to Zurich with all the time in the world to write. Seeing that the linky is still open, I am keen to write my gratitude journal for September.

September was quite a eventful month, the highlight being firming up of my business trip to Zurich. As a working woman, I was on Cloud 9 as this was an opportunity of a lifetime but the Mom in me who had to leave her daughter behind for 2.5 months in the care of my mother made me a bit uneasy. While I had no fear for her safety or care as my mother is her primary guardian when I am at work. I knew she would be comfortable but a part of me thought “am I being selfish?”.Thats when support poured in from a completely unexpected source- the mommy bloggers, many of whom I have never met in person but we share such a strong bond. They all cheered me on and asked me to go out and pursue the opportunity. That in itself was a morale booster. Thankful to them for  standing by me and applauding me.

My trip would have been a distant unattainable dream if not for the unflinching support of my mother who is the wind beneath my wings- thanks Mumma. I say this a million times, I need to keep saying it for I wouldn’t be able to soar so high without your support.

Mr Hubby- who supports me in his own quiet way- he may not always agree but he hardly says it. He has seen my priorities change after becoming a mom, a writer, a career woman (I have become all the more ambitious after becoming a Mom). Its not easy, but thanks for enduring it and celebrating my success.

This month saw a harried trip to Bengaluru and I loved the prawns curry, fish fry and other delicacies which my grand mum and sis in law lovingly prepared and fed me till I could eat no more. Food is a wonderful way of showing your love to people, don’t you think?

One more unique thing that happened was we stopped to have dinner at Freska which is popular restaurant serving continental food at BEL road. I was a regular there in my Bangalore days for almost 2 years. I moved cities around 1year 3 months ago but was pleasantly surprised when the waiter could recollect me, he was all smiles. wanted to know why I don’t come any longer. This left me with a very positive feeling and I was thankful for the kind gesture.

On the blogging front, #MyFriendAlexa campaign by Blogchatter was the highlight. I connected with many new bloggers, forged bonds.Thankful to the community for reading, commenting and sharing my posts. Some of the comments really moved me like the one by Knights of Steel and Opinionated_Mua. What would a blogger be without support from other bloggers? Thankful for this strong and close knit community. This post of mine about working women needing to break stereotypes and take charge did exceedingly well and I was overwhelmed with the wonderful comments by so many readers.

Those know know me are aware that I love my job and one of the primary reasons is a manager who is empathetic, My manger at work Phil is one of the nicest persons I met. He was a great support throughout the planning and final move phase of the trip, constantly by my side, lending a ear, talking openly and being there. The last day before I  was to travel – he gave me a warm handshake and told me not seeing my around for 3 months would feel odd- that made me feel so special.

The Gratitude circle continues to amaze me especially inOctober as I embarked on a new journey to a foreign land- this time its mainly about being thankful to strangers for a kind word, a smile, help. More on the blog next month. Meanwhile I have started writing down highlights of good things that happen daily to make sure I don’t miss out on any.

Making someone feel good- by helping them in times of need, giving a shoulder to lean on, saying a kind word, or simply giving a smile goes a long way in creating positivity. While I continue to be thankful to all, I also remind myself that I need to keep doing my bit in keeping the circle moving. Isn’t this such a wonderful thing?

Liking up with Vidya Suri