July draws to a close, and this month has seen many more downs than ups for me.
Healthwise, this was a month of concerns. I’ve had cough and allergies on and off for 3 weeks now. They abate and resurface. It has been quite dismaying. But, yes, I am managing with home remedies and have vowed to restart my pranayam. Also the entire family went through the cycle of viral fever and respiratory problems that was sweeping the city. But grateful that everyone is doing better.
Fitness has been an area where I continue to do well. Despite the health issues, I have been regular with exercise. I have not been doing strength training since a couple of weeks but have been regular with my walks/jogs. I have realized that exercise helps me with my emotional health as well and lightens my moods too. Also this month we started taking Coco for walks. He has been getting a bit sloppy, fitnesswise. He has made some progress in stamina but is yet unable to do 5 kms. with us. It is always a slow start when you begin something.
Kids just finished their first quarterlies today. It has been relatively stress-free with the younger son. He has been more disciplined in his studies though he is still not studying daily. And there are still glitches to be ironed. But this is a constant process and any improvement is progress.
I am immensely grateful for the fresh produce that comes from my roof top garden. This month we started getting fresh cucumber. Chillies, brinjal, beans, ladies finger, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes are coming in regularly. And the best part is the regular greens. Amaranth, spinach, Malabar spinach, fenugreek leaves and so many greens I was not aware of. are growing steadily. Hence, despite monsoons, we get to eat crunchy, fresh greens daily. We also got a stray ash gourd and musk melon too that grew on its own. You can follow the updates of my rooftop garden on my Instagram handle rachna.parmar. Also, I uploaded the first video on growing your own food on my Youtube channel. Do watch it if you haven’t done it till now. Let me know if you like these kinds of videos. And what can I do to improve them?
GST created havoc for small professionals like me. First the ambiguity and then the confirmation from my CA. Got my registration done. But once you are registered, there is a process of depositing GST, filing returns that has to be followed every month. Early days still, but I think I have things under control now. Have been a good girl and completed gathering and sharing proofs for my ITR filing. Phew! For other freelancers out there, if you have any clients in any states apart from your home state, you will need to get registered for GST. Once you do, include GST in all your invoices. Please do not forget to do this.
Caught a few old flicks on Amazon/Netflix and have been watching The Mentalist. Completed Season 2 now. Simon Baker is an addiction. 🙂 I like the rest of the cast as well. It is so much better than spending time on social media and discovering unpleasant sides to people you liked earlier. Social media will hardly ever give you true friends. Once you have that understanding, you will enjoy the platforms more. That and spending less time on them. These days, my favourite is Instagram.
So well. One more month went by. It left me with gratitude for my family. The husband who puts up with my crazy wild moods and has been very supportive during my ill-health. Not only does he grow fantastic produce, but he is a wonderful cook as well. Since I put up with his idiosyncrasies, I guess we are well-balanced there. 😉 My sons who while driving me crazy with their incessant bickering give me multiple joys and give me a reason to feel joyful and grateful every single day. My Coco who just makes my life immensely better by being himself. I also am grateful for being the person I am – I don’t get deterred easily, and I find my way out of the toughest of situations.
I am also grateful to my work that keeps me sane, happy and makes me learn something new on an ongoing basis. Have also been spending more time with friends. The chatter, laughter and fun times are such good stress busters.
I need to read more and hopefully will make amends starting this August.
August has some promising things on the anvil. Will tell you more in my August post. 🙂
How did your July go?
Pic courtesy: Shutterstock
Linking to Vidya’s Gratitude Circle. Do join in.
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