Diana Kurniawan

It was a Trenta Iced Green Tea with a splash of lemonade that just perked me up this evening. But that was the topping of the cake, after a whole normal day of work. I must say, a normal day was a handful, but I won't have it any other way. 

I am grateful, for the beautiful altruism that was graced upon me by the Almighty to have this day and evening of pure normality. Not in luxury, but just a normal day for a working class woman after eight hours of her shift, that was my perspective. I am beyond thankful for this and it was because I realized that my normal was what not a lot of people have. There are suffering still, and in the midst of all that, I am still alive. 

I could have been homeless several years ago when I was laid off, but that is not the case now and the reality is kind for me. I am so beyond grateful and I don't mind it if my normal will be as is until I retire. I am grateful, thankful, happy and satisfied.

I am thankful that I don't have any illness and my mind is manageable with the PTSD and Major Depression. I will enjoy things as they unfold and I am thankful that I can witness and experience more as I grow older. Things could be worse, but it is as it is, and I am so surprised that I am optimistic about it. As they say, growing older is a privilege and the key to its success is gratitude.

Several years ago, I would have been so depressed and would become so negative from the mental health. But today, and lately, I have been thankful. The grateful mind is healing me. It is blessing me, and I am proud of myself. From now on, I will give thanks, and praises and worship, and stay optimistic and become the more I am grateful, the more positive I become as the days go on.

I know it's my anti-depressant that is working, but that's only half the magic. The magic was me on the other half of the spectrum of healing. I was a believer in healing and gratitude working in tandem, and for that, I won't stop believing. 

This past January was a hard month for a lot of people and February also ensues demands of its own. From the fires of Southern California to the Hurricanes that just passed in December, there was a lot of suffering. Now, in the present moment and in my immediate circle, I saw suffering of my friends and coworkers. From job layoffs, death in the family, ill health, divorces and other broken pieces in the lives of those who did not deserve it. This 2025 has not been friendly nor easy. I could only pray for it to be kinder.

On that note, I tried hard to be kind today, and it was easy and paid off. I gave a rose to a friend from a debris of a bouquet that was about to the thrown away. She smiled and felt special. I gave candy and hugs to my coworkers and some customers who I just felt needed the hug and asked for them. I didn't have to twist my arm to be kind, as it came naturally and it wasn't something that I planned. I wanted to do it and tried more than usual. 

There should be more people out there who want to help cheer someone's day out of the kind gesture of their heart. To just brighten someone's life even for a moment. I helped bagged groceries for the elderly and helped Mom's without a helping hand with their babies. It became second nature and it was pleasing to me. It felt nurturing to my own heart and I was surprised that I wanted to keep going. I thought it was going to be for a couple of people, but I extended a helping hand to my customers and served them completely. I wanted to do it all day long, for my whole shift of 8 hours long. I supposed my customer service skills were practiced and I was more eager to help, but it felt normal and just like every day for me. 

I think kindness became my normal as I practiced it more and more. A lot of people complimented me as memorable and loving, and I appreciated each person who complimented me. It was true that kindness grew in depth inside the soul that grew roots and showed its fruits in random ways. It became a chocolate wafer from a stranger when I was sad. It also became a hug each morning because we were kindred spirits, and because just a hello showed compassion to a lonesome heart. It showed up as a smile from a Jane who was single and elderly who divorced at 25 and never remarried. Kindness became a mini-Spanish tutorial in the lunch room because she just wanted to tell me I was a beautiful person. These people became more valuable to me, and their gestures became gold. I was the recipient of their love and their kindness because kindness recycled from one person to another became love in action.

January was tough and ripped out whole lives, and here comes February with its own demand. But we as people shouldn't stop being kind, generous and honorable because it runs through life like a holy ghost that touches each spirit differently, and leaving each life with a blossoming rose. I know I am just one person, but one person can do much and my gestures walks, as my kindness shapes hearts. It kept on going...

#JustWrite