I’m moderating my first mastermind, and this is a new thing for me. I can see where I’m falling back on my previous managerial experience, and what aspects of it need improving. In general, though, this is quite inspiring – to lead a group of females who wish to reach their personal and professional goals. So far we have all made good progress, and, with two more weeks left, there’s plenty to do. I’m grateful for this opportunity. In fact, it was my goal at the start of the year, and now I’ve accomplished it.
My gratitude note is short today. I’m grateful for the quiet inspiration that spurred me to make a good progress on my work.
We have come to think of inspiration as a bout of madness that engulfs you, leaves you sleepless, restless and void of all human desires. But there is a different kind of it, gently guiding you on the path of your story. I really enjoyed it today, and I’m looking forward for more.
November 7th used to be widely celebrated as the birth of the Soviet State. It was considered a benign democratic antidote to the tzarist system.
If we take seriously the fact that the three-coloured imperial flag was changed to the monocoloured red standard, we might say that the October Revolution was the first attempt at a colourful revolution. It wasn’t the Georgian Orange but the Soviet Red that heralded the epoch of “adopted” democracies that ensued.
Today people’s attitude to the October 1917 events has changed, mostly towards a more balanced view of the Romanovs and the role the October played in the events of the first half of 20th century in Russia and elsewhere in the world.
Am I grateful to those late October 1917 events? I see little point in even contemplating this question; but since I chose to give thanks to things, I shall. I believe a sure sign of human maturity is the ability to turn a loving eye to the past of one’s family and country. It is healthier to evolve at one’s own speed, no doubt. Yet in the case with a revolution one has to remember that it never happens for no reason. The society was ready for it, but not for its aftermath. And so we can be grateful for the opportunity to distinguish between the common good and the common evil. The events of 2023 with an unsuccessful mutiny have proved that the people have learned a historic lesson.
Today I spent a fairly hectic day. I gave three classes, wrote some prose and posts, recorded a couple of extracts from Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World. I’ve had this book in my library for a while, having brought when I was yet in England, but it’s only now that I’m being a truly dedicated reader. I’ll do another post about it later.
Tiredness has worn on, and I’m planning to go to bed as soon as I finish the post. But before I put a full stop I want to thank the bountiful power for endowing me with creativity. This is a truly divine gift.
I was hoping to spend the long weekend relaxing. Instead I had to go shopping and do some things about the house; and tomorrow I’m teaching. Yet I’m grateful to be able to work and to share my expertise with those who need it. And I’ll relax by just looking at this photo, imagining myself in this setting.
Today was a fairly quiet day. I was hoping to have some extended sleep, and I did. I’m grateful for the moments of quietude and peace that I aim to catch every Sunday. Since my time in England I’ve always noticed this period of stillness on a Sunday afternoon. Between 2 and 4 p.m. the trade was gradually slowing down, and between 4 and 6 p.m. life would move to pubs and restaurants. People were bidding farewell to their weekend with a cup of cappuccino, a pint of Lager, or a glass of wine.
So I, too, try to spend these four hours of a Sunday afternoon noticing how life’s waters calm and go still, so you can actually sip the time by a minute. And I’m always grateful for it.
On the Day of National Unity our gratitude goes to the patriotic spirit of the 17th century Russian citizens. A chain of ill-thought events following the death of Boris Godunov led to the Moscow throne being seized by the Polish party. For the first time since the end of the Mongol yoke Russian sovereignty as the state was under threat. The people of Russia eventually abandoned their feuds, and all social classes united for one cause.
The icon of Our Lady of Kazan that was miraculously found in 1570s by the future Patriarch Hermogen (who was later imprisoned by the Poles in Moscow for his appeals to people and starved to death) played a pivotal role in protecting the Russian forces. It was then used again in 1812, during Napoleonic invasion; and it is widely believed that a helicopter with this icon on board flew around Moscow in November-December 1941, during the Moscow Battle. However, it was also thought to have been lost; yet this year, Patriarch Kirill announced that the icon was found again.
Our unity as a nation has been tested in 1990s, but since Vladimir Putin came to power the patriotic spirit has been growing. It received a significant kick in 2022, reviving the national pride and the desire to serve one’s Land. And so we are thankful to be Russian, to live in Russia and to work to make it great.
Today, my gratitude goes to Nature. Its wisdom is such that it always reminds us that all periods of our life are intrinsically interconnected. The seeds of maturity and old age are sown in our younger years. Likewise, the poplar fluff in May-June is a foreboding of winter blizzard. And a pumpkin that shines brightly amidst November dirt and gloom obviously epitomises the sun.
The sun is always here, there, and everywhere. We only need to learn to see it behind the clouds.
Today I’m grateful to my positive thinking. I’m trying to be an informed optimist, which entails a good understanding of life and people. My positive mood is generated by my awareness that we accumulate more of what we focus on. If I focus on bad things, I make them worse.
It doesn’t mean, on the other hand, that I should ignore bad things in my life. Yet I cannot merely erase them; I have to make out why they happen in the first place, so I can change and improve them.
Looking at today’s picture, I’m thinking about the times when things were rough. I would lock myself up in a cosy room of my own. Doing so always allowed me to distance from the events and to choose the best – positive – outcome. And I’m grateful to myself and the powers-that-be for guiding me through…
I’m starting another challenge here. I see that you liked Christmas Tree challenge I had in December last year. So now I’m going to take you for a pumpkin ride!
November starts with the Irish Samhain and the European All Hallows’ Eve and culminates in American Thanksgiving. In all festivals, a pumpkin occupies a central part as an epitome of harvest and the sun. And it is the sun that we need in many corners of our world in November. Hence I decided to bring it to you this month.
Source: Pinterest
I also want to dedicate this month to a kind of Thanksgiving. I’m sure you’ve heard about a gratitude diary; but to practise writing it makes a huge difference in life. So, I’m going to give thanks to all things great and small in my life and in the life of humankind, on the whole. I don’t expect you to agree with all things I’m grateful for. However, I hope you will attempt to see things from my perspective and, who knows, maybe you’ll share my gratitude. And if you choose, please use comments to share what you are grateful for.
To start, today I’m thankful for my resourcefulness that helped me to pull through a rather difficult October. I took part in several important events, including a TV program and a professional conference. At the same time, I had to attend on my cats who were poorly. And I had very little rest, yet I was able to stay calm and organise things.
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