
Happy New Year, and happy Sunday. I hope you had a good break if you had one, and I hope the festivities brought you joy and happiness if you partook in the celebrations.
I’d like to kick things off this year with gratitude, but rather than writing an essay on the topic per the usual format of this blog, I figured I’d try a new format and write a list of things I’m thankful for, things that featured prominently in my 2024 and will likely and hopefully continue to bring me joy this year.
So, with that in mind, here’s an A to Z of my gratitude list for 2025. Seeing as there are 26 letters in the English alphabet, feel free to think of this list as 25 things I’m thankful for in 2025, plus a bonus.
A is for Art, obviously. This whole blog is about the practice of art and my journey as an artist. Art is expression. Art is freedom. Art is enlightenment. Art is entertainment. I’m thankful for the existence of all the amazing art in the world, and for my ability to contribute to the pool of art out there.
Also, special mention in the A category goes to Apples. I’m fond of the Pink Lady variety, and I don’t eat nearly as much as I’d like.
B is for Books. All the books. Fiction. Non-fiction. Poetry collections. Picture books. I’m fascinated by books because when you think about it, a book is just a collection of ideas, in the form of words and/or figures. Books are just thoughts laid bare, albeit curated with intention and purpose. I’m also thankful for the fact that I’ve been able to contribute a couple of books to the public sphere, as the author of A Hollade Christmas and Art Is The Way, and more coming soon.
C is for Creativity. I think of creativity as the fuel source for art. I feel eternally grateful to be able to dabble in creative activities and engage in creative exploits. It is a continuous source of wonder to me that I write books, stories, essays, poetry and music, and play musical instruments. I’ve spent the last few days editing a novel draft I wrote over a year ago, and enough time has passed between writing and editing it that it feels like it was written by someone else. In other words, I’ve been amazed and pleasantly surprised that I’m capable of writing the things I wrote in the novel, and I feel this way about the other creative things I do. I couldn’t tell you how I do it, because I’m not entirely sure how. Sometimes I wonder whether I’ll wake up one morning and find that I no longer have a creative bone in my body. I’m probably blowing this fear out of proportion, but the sentiment holds that I’ll continue to be thankful for creativity for as long as I live and am able to engage with art.
Also, special mention in the C category goes to Carrots, because they’re a delicious and versatile vegetable. Enough said.
D is for Dogs. Dogs are awesome. I don’t have one at the moment and haven’t for quite a long time, but every day while out on my walks, I come across many dogs that make me smile, so I’m glad they exist and thankful for their existence.
E is for Electricity, or more specifically, electric appliances. I can get even more specific here, as the other day, while brushing my teeth I realised that my electric toothbrush makes the process easier, compared to the manual kind I used hitherto. I didn’t grow up having an electric toothbrush, and I only first got one in 2020, but it’s been a game changer. I recently had a similar thought about electric kettles. How cool is it that we can bring water to boil in a minute or so, compared to having to rely on a metal vessel propped on a fossil fuel-powered stove, which will take much longer to do the job and pollute the air in the process?
F is for Food, as in nice food, as in soul-nourishing, mouth-watering, delicious goodness. Need I say more?
G is for Glasses. They help me see. Also, a few years ago I stumbled on a style which I thought looked nice and different, and it has become something of a signature style for me. How cool is it that we figured out that we can fashion slabs of glass enclosed in metal or plastic frames, and use these to improve and/or correct our vision?
H is for Home, as in the feeling, but also the space. Home is where your phone automatically connects to the Wi-Fi. Home is where you can expel gases from your various orifices guilt-free. Home is where your tribe is. I’m thankful for the safety and comfort I feel when ensconced in my home, but perhaps more importantly, I’m thankful for the one I make and share that space with.
I is for Imagination. If creativity is fuel for art, then I think of imagination as the propeller of the machine. I’m thankful for the ability to conjure up things that don’t exist, including ideas, stories, and alternate realities.
J is for Jumpsuits. I’ve got a pair, and they are quite comfortable. I look alright in them too, I’ve been told.
K is for Kindness, as in the kindness of strangers, as in when the man you come across on your walk gives you a heads up that the stretch up ahead on your path is extra slippery today because of the snow, or when the woman who works in the bakery you walk past every day compliments your orange beanie. The world would be a much better place if we were all just a little bit kinder to those around us, even strangers, especially strangers. Change my mind.
L is for Love. Love is all. You can’t change my mind on this.
M is for Music, again, obviously, I’m a musician after all. I’m thankful for all the music I get to enjoy on a daily basis, and the music I’ve been fortunate to contribute to the world. While we’re expressing gratitude, why not take a moment to listen to this song and this song about gratitude, by yours truly?
N is for Novelty. All the new things we get to experience. The meals we get to try for the first time. The places we get to visit for the first time. The people who come into our lives and enrich our existence. The ideas we encounter that change the way we see the world.
O is for Orange, the colour. I’m not sure I have a favourite colour, but if I did, it might just be orange, as it features quite prominently in my sartorial choices. The fruit is pretty nice too.
P is for Parsnips, a criminally underrated vegetable. I would give you a sense of just how much I rate this wholesome root vegetable and how it ranks higher, in my opinion, than other foods that are much beloved by the public, but I don’t want anyone to come for me.
Special mention in P goes to Pumpkin seeds. You can add them to your porridge, sprinkle them on pasta and salad dishes, or eat them straight out of the jar or packet by the handful, which is without a doubt the right way to eat them.
Q is for Questions, the good kind, the kind that lead to ground-breaking, world-changing insights, like:
What’s that shiny thing that appears in the day sky half the time? Or What are those little bright things that illuminate the night sky?
I imagine these questions being asked and taken seriously centuries ago, and we have answers today, which continue to pave the way for more discoveries. But there are also questions which may not necessarily lead to discoveries, questions for which there are no definitive answers, but the process of entertaining them can be just as illuminating. For example:
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
R is for Rainbow. The colours of the rainbow look good together, wouldn’t you agree? And even better, is what the rainbow represents, as a symbol of hope, connectedness, and diversity. I think we could do with more of these at the moment.
S is for Serendipity, as in good luck, chance, and fortuitous discovery of all things big and small. It is finding a new route home from work which takes you by the canal. It is realising that a drizzle of maple syrup over roasted vegetables (re: carrots and parsnips) elevates the dish to stratospheric levels. It is swiping right on an app and meeting someone you gel with so much you choose to spend the rest of your life with them. As a musician once quipped, Serendipity is the sweetest thing I know.
Special mention in S is the sun. Our planet and solar system wouldn’t exist without it. We wouldn't be here without it. You wouldn’t be reading this blog without it. I wouldn’t have enjoyed a lovely Spinach Pasta dinner last night without it.
T is for Tofu. Have you ever had a BBQ sticky tofu and carrot stir fry with rice? Or tofu in pesto between two slices of tiger bread? Heaven on a plate.
Special mention in T goes to Time. Time makes most things better; think difficult situations (duh), pickled vegetables (I would know), and I’m told (but don’t take my word for it), wine. An exception to this, as most people learn sooner or later, is milk. An exception to this exception is if you add some sort of acid and cultured agent to the milk, it turns into cheese with time, and the kind of cheese you get depends on the type of acid and culture. This is all to say there are no absolutes in life.
U is for Umbrella. For when it rains, which is almost always in my neck of the woods. Mine sees a lot of action, on account of all the walks I do.
V is for Vegan products. Think dairy and meat alternatives. I’m thankful for oat milk. I’m thankful I get to go out and enjoy the occasional plant-based burger. I’m thankful that unlike those who adopted a plant-based lifestyle just a few decades ago, I have a lot more options, such that my limited culinary skills don’t limit me to subsisting on rice and beans every night. Also, boots, belts, backpacks, and other products that begin with B, for which plant-based alternatives exist.
W is for Walks. Don’t know if you know this, but I love a good walk. I’m thankful for the ability to go out and move on my feet. I’m thankful for safe and nice spaces to explore while out and about. I’m thankful for the time I get to spend walking and engaging with music, podcasts, or just my thoughts.
Special mention in W is water. Water is life.
X is for eXtra Chocolatey, Single-shot Decaf, Oat Milk Mocha, which is to say I’m thankful for coffee. I’m also thankful for the handful of cafes around me (and the baristas in those cafes) that make this just to my liking. Special shout-out to those baristas who start making it the moment I walk in, without me having to say:
“Hi. Please can I have a single-shot decaf, oat milk mocha, with extra chocolate? Thank you. By the way, it’s oat milk, and decaf, and just one shot, and please can I have more chocolate powder than normal? And also, just checking if the chocolate powder is dairy-free? Thank you so much.”
Y is for Yellow. Like Orange, the colour Yellow just screams “joy” to me. Have you ever seen a child’s drawing of the sun? What colour was it? Close your eyes and imagine yourself running through flower fields in springtime. What colour do you see? Imagine yourself holidaying on a tropical island, sipping drinks and munching snacks as you lay on a beach overlooking peaceful waters. What colour do you think of?
Special mention in Y goes to Yarn, as in the thing used to make knitwear, as in the thing I live in for more than half the year.
Z is for Zucchini, a.k.a Courgette. Have you ever had this heavenly vegetable grilled as a side dish or a topping on pasta or tofu? No? Thank me later.
P.S.: My debut non-fiction book, Art Is The Way, and my middle-grade novella, A Hollade Christmas, are out everywhere now. You can get them in all good bookstores and from all major online vendors.