Week 6: Practicing and being grateful
Its not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters
-Margaret Laurence
By: Hong Bing Tang June 25, 2024
06/17/2024 to 06/23/2024
Introduction:
I am not going to lie, not much has happened in the last week that deviated from my normal routine. However, with this week, I was able to reflect on and be grateful for the people, opportunities, and life I have and live in. Let’s start!
Being Thankful:
This week I was able to see some people that I normally do not see. I was able to run with some old friends. It was good to talk to them since I had not had time to catch up with them. I truly was grateful to be able to see them and learn how they were doing. This led to being able to hang out with them in the future (more in the blog post). Unfortunately, one of my good running friends, dad unfortunately passed away last week. Mom and I attended the visitation for him, and he seemed like he was holding up strong. Death is always hard for everyone and even though I did not know the dad very well, he was an excellent dad and member in the community and the few experiences I had with him, he was so cheerful and knowledgeable. This led me to realize and take pride in the opportunities and privileged life I live in. For this, I appreciate my parents, friends, and support.
Boat!
On Wednesday, this week I was able to see my middle school/high school friend group and we had a day on the boat. It was nice to get out on the boat since it was nearly 90 degrees F (32 C) outside! The water was super warm when we jumped in, and we threw a football around and talked on the boat. Afterwards we went to a sand bar and played 2 on 2 tackle football in the water. Unfortunately, Troy and I lost but we had a wonderful time!
Xuan B-day!
On Saturday it was Xuan Xuan’s birthday! She came home and we did Korean BBQ at our place. This was my first time having Korean BBQ and it did not disappoint. We fired up the hot plate and portable stove top and cooked. We had a variety of veggies like Sweet Potato, Zucchini, and Eggplant. My favorite was sweet potato. Then came the meat, and there was A LOT of it. We had normal Shabu Shabu steak, Korean BBQ steak, Spicy pork, Shrimp, and although precooked by my dad on the grill out, but my favorite, Satay Chicken. Overall, the Korean BBQ was super good, and I think I ate a little bit too much since I was super full for an exceptionally long time.
After eating we settled in the living room and watched a romantic comedy movie. I usually do not enjoy Rom-coms, however, the one we were watching was not bad. Once the movie finished, we went to the dining room for cake! We wished her happy birthday and ate the cake, which was a mango and whip cream cake. It was unbelievably delicious. After cake we gave Xuan Xuan her presents which were an Air frier, something she wanted for her new apartment, and a cat tower for her cat Addy! Overall, it was a great birthday for her, and I am so happy to be able to celebrate it with her and our family + Evan!
Conclusion:
Overall this week has been a particularly good week to reflect back on. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and the opportunity that I get with these people. During my summer class in May, one of my professors showed us a video of an experiment where being grateful made people happier overall. I find this to be absolutely true. It is not every day that we get to sit down all together as a family, and have fun, and I truly and thankful that we are able to and will in the future.
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