Today, I went to Saket Sports Complex and was playing a round of badminton with my son and husband.

My husband was giving me shots that made me run all over the court to pick. When he was playing with my teenage son, he started cribbing about how the placement of the shots kept him running.

But I knew exactly what his intentions were. Ever since my blood sugar levels came above normal in the annual checkup, I have been working hard to reverse my situation.

He, having lost his closest loved ones to diabetes, leaves no stone unturned to nudge me for my daily physical activity routine, even if it means fixing breakfast for himself. Understanding his intentions for my workout, I had deep gratitude for his intentions and effort, that my son could not reciprocate.

While coming back, I was telling my son that I have always heard my fellow friends complain about various discomforts they faced during the pregnancy journey.  However, when I was pregnant with him after two early miscarriages; each discomfort sent me the indication that he was well.

So for me, every time I was really unwell during my pregnancy,  I thanked my baby and the Universe for communicating their well being with me. Similarly,  every time today I had to work hard to not lose a point in the badminton match, I was thankful to my husband for giving me my needed dose of physical activity.

The point I want to drive home by narrating this very personal anecdote is that when we are emotionally intelligent to understand the reason behind certain events,  we experience a deep sense of gratitude and motivation to keep moving in the correct direction.

So whenever in life, you face a challenge, try to understand what is it that life wants to convey through the incident? Probably then, it might not feel so uncomfortable.

When things do not go your way, remember that every challenge — every adversity — contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.

Roy T. Bennett

More about gratitude in my next blog. Till then, stay safe; stay blessed.