It’s the third day into 2016 and I’m at home on a Sunday, recalibrating myself for the start of a new work week and year. I returned from the Philippines yesterday morning and spent the afternoon unpacking, doing laundry and cleaning my flat. As you get older, you can no longer do the return-Sunday-night-go-to-work-Monday thing. The body needs more recovery time, and it’s just one of those things that you have to accept and adjust to as the years go by.

So I had a good break in the Philippines despite occasional hiccups which was to be expected in a less developed country. That’s the thing with travel isn’t it? Not everything goes according to plan but therein lies the fun part of it – makes for good stories to tell after that.

I ushered in 2016 in a slow and quiet mode. My friend and I were tired from the hike to the summit of Mount Pulag (2922m) we had done in the wee hours of the morning the day before. We were in our hotel room and outside we heard endless rounds of fireworks throughout the night. In the last week of December, I decided that I wanted 2016 to be a year where I’m more at peace with myself and the key to that is GRATITUDE.

I know, it sounds really cliched and maybe I have been reading too many blogs about minimalism, essentialism, and ways to be happy in this consumeristic world we live in. Too often I find myself thinking about what I don’t have and comparing my life to that of the wonderful lives I see of others. Yes, it’s a sheer way to unhappiness but I’m human after all and it’s sometimes hard not to compare.

For example, I see my friends with loving husbands and families and wished I had the same for myself. A friend of mine told me it’s difficult to admit to others that she’s looking for a life partner/companion. I told her I understood and it is a difficult thing to do. Others might see it as a sign of desperation and the inability to live with one’s self. In an alternative universe, I would like to be a stay-at-home mum and I think it would be just as fulfilling a life. In another alternative universe, I would have the intelligence and ability to make more money as some financial whizkid so that I would be able to retire at 30 and pursue other passions.

But the reality is that this is the life I have and as I grow older, I am more cognisant of the fact that acceptance and gratitude are key to happiness. I have to accept that I may never find a life companion and have children, but that doesn’t mean I have to have a less fulfilling life than my friends. I have to accept that I’m just not cut out to scale the corporate ladder and I’m happy being at this level of the ladder and its corresponding commiseration.

So my theme for 2016 is gratitude. A few days ago, my work IT system sent an email prompting me to renew my login password. I decided that I would use the word ‘gratitude’ as my password to remind myself of it every day. It’s good to have a positive word to start the work day, no?

I also want to write a post every day about something I’m grateful for on that day. That will give me a reason to write (one of things I want to do more in 2016!) and will serve as a good reminder for me.

Happy New Year and may 2016 be one filled with happiness for all!