30 Days of Gratitude Day 30 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today may be the last day of my 30 Days of Gratitude series, but it will certainly not be the last day I take account of what I am grateful for. In life the bad can outnumber the good, but joy will always conquer, as long as you leave yourself open to it. I thought about what I should be grateful for in my last column. There were numerous things: nature, a takeaway, going to a restaurant, the fact that I can make a living doing what I love (a HUGE one). The fact is that life is beautiful even in its ugly moments. In the tough times there are still those we love, surrounding and supporting us. Then there is just the fact that I am British. Britain is a wonderful country. I also live in London. I fell in love with London when I started to commute down for auditions. I have lived in London for almost ten years now. They have been the best years of my life. Positivity is important in life and negative thinking has a bad effect on your health. So every time you are having a bad day start your gratitude list. It helps, promise.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 29 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to put my feet up. Mostly because it rarely happens! Like most working parents I am always on the go. In fact I spent the entire Easter Weekend working. Pretty sucky. But I did get my novel away and get a lot done. But life is about more than career and ticking off your to do list. Life is about joy and happiness. My happiest times are always with my boys. So this week I will be finding the time to put my feet up and relax. If my workload and baby allow it, I will be grateful.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 28 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for art. While I don’t find a lot of time to do my own art much, I still find joy in others. I love art galleries and museums. Discovering new artists is also one of my favourite things. Below is some of my art which I did years ago. I am going to make sure that I start drawing more this year. The last picture is a drawing of my son and I by Holly Thomas. I love it and we have it framed and on display. It was a wonderful present from Holly.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 25 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for the long weekend. Four days of family bliss. Happy Easter everyone.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 22 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today the world woke up to the terrorist attacks in Brussels. It seems that a week does not pass without some awful terrorist attack somewhere. Last week it was Istanbul where a suicide bomber killed three Israelis and an Iranian. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that Turkey is “awash with terrorism” and the President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would use all its military and intelligence might to battle “one of the biggest and bloodiest terrorist waves in its history”. Why is this in my gratitude series? It is a good question, but a harder one was what to choose to be grateful for today. The flip side to terrorism, to death and pain is joy and life. I am grateful for that. For kindness, for every breathe. Today as I watched the news of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on the BBC I looked at my nearly one-year-old son. As he watched the screen he did not know what was happening. He was just fascinated by the lights and the noise. A panic started to rise in me. What kind of world is my son growing up in? The thought made me feel sad and I felt even more protective towards this beautiful little bundle.

But we must find the positive. The beauty in life. We must carry on and not let the terrorists win. They want us to be scared. To feel fear and change our behaviour. To hate each other and be sad. But we won’t. We will persevere. We will find the joy, the love, we will carry on with our lives. Today I am grateful for that.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 21 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for walking. The health benefits of a walk are numerous, and I also find it helps me clear my mind. My son also likes to nap in the pram so it is how I get a break. When I have a lot of work on I will go for a walk through the park to a coffee shop or café. Usually by the time I get there the baby is asleep and I can get some work done. The baby also loves walks, he looks around and finds everything fascinating. It also helps to work off some of the many biscuits I eat. London is beautiful and I love walking around, taking in all of the history. It makes me feel very grateful indeed.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day Twenty #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for good manners. I see a lot of stuff on social media, or overhear conversations where people complain about the lack of manners in today’s society. And that is sometimes true, but in my experience there are plenty of people with good manners. For every person who does not thank you when you open the door for them (yell ‘you’re welcome’ at them. It’s really satisfying) there are people who go out of their way for you. I remember struggling to get the pram and the shopping through the door of my apartment block and having a man in a van stop, roll down the window, and ask if he could help. I told him it was okay as I did not want to inconvenience him, but another two people also offered to help in this instance. I see a lot of this when I am out and about with my son. People holding doors, smiling, offering to help with shopping, even giving advice. It makes me happy. The worst is when people are not only rude, but also ungrateful. Ingratitude is one of the worst traits a person can have. So let’s all think of some things we are grateful for today. It leaves you feeling happier and healthier. Promise.