Being grateful

I have been meditating for ten minutes every morning for the last many months now. I use an app on my iPhone for this. For me, this practice has been a life-changer. It has completely changed the way I think. In today’s exercise, the topic was gratitude. I have read multiple articles about how gratitude helps to be happy. But in today’s exercise, I was asked to actually practise it. The ten minute exercise was really beautiful.

I have so much in my life to be grateful for. I think the most important reason I have for gratitude is my parents. This may seem cliched. But I honestly did not feel this way until not so long ago. Today, I cannot thank them enough for all they have done for me. Right from ensuring that I have a good education to providing for every comfort I had during childhood despite being a family with limited means, my parents have been such an important part of my life. During my journey with kidney disease, they have been such solid pillars of strength that I can never imagine having come so far without their support.

I am also grateful for NephroPlus and Vikram and Sandeep who have been a part of this incredible journey. I credit Vikram for being the main reason NephroPlus has reached such great heights. His amazing foresight, his legendary networking and his ability to never lose sight of the big picture are things without which this company could not have achieved what we have been able to achieve today.

I can safely say that without the ability to do home hemodialysis, I would not be alive today. I am so grateful to be able to do this type of dialysis. Much of what I am grateful for is thanks to this modality. I am able to eat and drink pretty much what I what. I am able to work, exercise and travel freely. I am able to do so many things which are due to the benefits of home hemo.

I am so thankful for having reasonably good writing skills. This has enabled me to write this blog which has brought me so much appreciation. I was able to be a part of the NephroPlus journey only due to this blog. Had Vikram not found this blog while researching for kidney disease in India, we would never have met. Who knows, he might have started something else in healthcare. This blog has made it possible for me to touch so many people by encouraging them to lead full lives despite being on dialysis.

There are so many more things that I have to be grateful for - friends who have given me such an important perspective of life, my brothers who have always been there in times of need, my teachers who have played such an important part in shaping my thinking, my doctors who have constantly endeavoured to enable me to live the life I wanted to live.

I am really thankful for all these blessings in my life today.