number 52

a moment of gratitude

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Anniversaries are a thing of celebration.

A day of celebrating a milestone, a time to reflect, acknowledge, and congratulate all involved.

Even on an anniversary of a loved one passing, it allows us to remember all the good times shared when they were in our lives.

It becomes an important date, for we become more aware of this magnitude of time as it approaches.

And this email is newsletter number 52, a full year of writing.

A project I started for fun, using analogies in everyday life and putting meaning to them about the lessons we all learn through life.

When starting, I had no plan, primary goal, or golden figure of subscriptions or dreams to become a best-selling author. My only wish was that something scribbled down each week would hopefully ring a bell in someone who read it and allow them to think about their lives and make a connection.

We live in a society where the number of likes on a photo or comments means so much to some, and sadly what is posted at times may be for others more than the person who posted it.

And this newsletter fits that bill, for sharing my comparisons is in the hope, as mentioned before, that it helps another.

And this is the cause today for celebration, not only for this one, number 52, but I have been fortunate enough to celebrate each week.

I receive an email each week with the newsletter subscription figures, which have risen and risen each week, for which I am so grateful.

But it is the one message or sometimes many more I receive privately to say how a specific one has helped that individual so much by reading whatever subject I chose.

To take the time to reach out, to be vulnerable enough to admit the chord it struck within them, means more to me than some likes and shares.

These writings may be cathartic for me to acknowledge signs of growth within me, but receiving these messages shows enormous signs of growth to those who send them.

Allowing that self-awareness to come to the surface shows bravery. Sharing this takes courage, removing the fear of possible judgment to admit to themselves and another. Actions like this are the community I had hoped the

This is Us Newsletter would aim to be.

We all would instead look outwards at the actions of others or pretend we have it all going on in our lives, but to honestly look within and observe our thoughts, actions, and feelings is the actions of someone doing the work.

Instilling the proper boundaries, surrounding ourselves with the right people who encourage us to be better humans, for having the belief that saying NO to something that does not serve is, is self-care in itself.

Explaining properly and encouraging proper communication without confusion or from a place of defensiveness allows this process to unfold correctly.

And if this has promoted these actions each week, I am so grateful.

Which for me is a reason to celebrate in itself.

So, this week, is there an area in your life that needs celebrating? Is there someone you feel deserves that "message" of thanks that their actions may have been taken for granted?

If so, celebrate it and send that message; you don't know how good it will feel for them to receive it.

As always, thanks for reading, and thank you for being kind to yourselves.

Marcus.