[Gratitude] My mom, learning to use the computer after a stroke left half her body paralyzed

In the mornings — cold or hot, doesn’t matter — I head out to the gym, and I love that it’s so close, so easy to get to. I’m so grateful that I get to grind on freelance work and a day job and actually make good money from it.

The feeling of muscle slowly building on my frame, the glance in the mirror where — maybe because I’m over 180cm — I think I actually look pretty good. I’m so grateful for that. My parents gave me this height, this body. And height isn’t something you can earn by trying harder, right? I’m so thankful.

On the commute with my wife, we end up talking a lot about how we want to raise our baby. Just having this time together already feels special, and I’m grateful for it — but what I’m even more grateful for is how our thinking just clicks, the two of us trying, both of us caring. The way decisions line up between us, exactly. I hope we keep these conversations going, the way we are now, because I really believe they’ll do so much for our family’s growth in the years to come.

One day, out of nowhere, my mom had a brain hemorrhage and was left with half her body paralyzed. And yet — ever since — she’s been so healthy, exercising every day, getting out and about, and lately she’s even been taking computer classes. It’s incredible. I’m so grateful that she’s still here beside us, living well, finding things she enjoys. I hope I can do even more for her going forward.

I overheard my team lead — kind of? — talking behind my back to the rest of the team about the project I’m leading. Of course there are issues, but I’m working through them. Honestly, I’d been holding back from talking up my own work out of consideration for him, since he hasn’t really been leading the team well himself — but he was using that very silence to play himself up in front of the others. My first reaction was that it stung. But looking at it another way, being on this team has made a lot of things easier — data access and so on, partly thanks to him — and in the end, my results will be what speaks for me. So for now, without spinning my wheels on it, I feel grateful that he’s cooperating, that things are running smoothly. The truth is, I’ve benefited from him in real ways too.