Welcome to the very first issue of Grateful Dad!

You might be wondering why I’m starting a new series on this blog so it’s just proper that I address your curiosity.

First, I wanted to add more personal anecdotes in this blog. In my previous posts, I’ve always expressed my intent to go back to the very core of blogging and that is to share stories that are relatable to others. I used to do that here, too, but because of what the SEO blogs taught, I moved my personal articles out of this blog.

I miss the good old days of blogging when bloggers wrote articles in long form. Those were the days when there was a genuine desire to share thoughts and opinions and not just to craft short posts and photographs that would garner likes and approval from followers. Social media has, in a way, taken the joy of sharing stories and I want to get that back, even if that just happens in this blog.

I know that coming up with this series is not an original idea. In fact, I’ve been reading another fellow blogger’s series of personal posts and I can say that I loved the way that that person was able to sustain the articles over the years. That’s because it’s very seldom that I encounter bloggers these days who still hold deep appreciation for writing, as such, that blogger’s articles were quite unexpected.

Secondly, I noticed that all my personal entries in this blog were mostly outpouring of old or even pent-up emotions. Call them rants because that’s what they are and I don’t want to inundate this blog with seemingly pessimistic posts.

Just the same, I still want this blog to be as human as possible and to convey real emotions; happiness and sadness.

Given all of those, the next question is, what can readers expect from my Grateful Dad series? Judging by its name, this series will include things that I’m thankful for in the last week or two. I’ve always expressed my desire to raise kids who are grateful and I want to set a good example.

Furthermore, I believe that positivity begets positivity. When you are always optimistic, you also attract optimism.

Lastly, I’ll also share experiences that gave me lessons and even discoveries that made me happy.

To begin, these are the things that I’m thankful for:

1. Securing projects after losing my personal Facebook and Instagram accounts last year

I thought that I would be done with blog collaborations after what had happened. 

I’m just grateful that some of the brands that I work with still decided to push through with the projects. It also helped that I had a good relationship with my friends, as I like to call them instead of followers. They still supported me when I opened a new Instagram account. 

I’m still trying to recover my old accounts though.

2. I’m thankful for the gift of health 

My loved ones continue to enjoy good health and I pray that it stays that way.

I’m also grateful for the job interviews. I still find it a challenge to secure a full-time job because of the pandemic and probably with my age. Nevertheless, I’m grateful to the companies who took the time to read my resume and give me their precious time.

3. One very striking message that I read on social media is to be grateful for being able to travel safely to and from work 

It’s really true that it’s an underrated type of blessing especially because we often hear people complaining (that includes me!) about traffic and how hellish the local public transportation is. Instead, let’s just be grateful for being able to make it back home to our family in one piece.

That’s it for now. I also don’t want to keep this too long. I hope you’d come here regularly to read Grateful Dad. Let me know your thoughts, I’d appreciate them.

Until the next issue!

Also read:

• It’s Just One Of Those Bad Days
• Positive Affirmations For Tired Dads
• The Year 2021 In Retrospect