7 things we have learnt to be grateful for

For perhaps the first time in our lives, we have noticed our surroundings, have time to chat with a neighbour and eat a proper sit-down breakfast with the entire family. It's time to be grateful for small things. It's also a time to introspect, and plan for a future that no one seems to be able to predict with any certainty anymore.

Here are some things we never knew mattered so much -

• Time

  We had everything in abundance, but no time to enjoy it. The rollercoaster of life spared nobody and the years flew past, gathering degrees and promotions in their wake, but without giving us hours to sit back and savour the achievements. Or, even the simple pleasures of a birthday or a college re-union. We now have realised what precious weekends were meant for and understood how time is precious.

• Communication

  Technology has helped us reach out and stay in touch with loved ones in the last few months, wherever they are. Family and friends have always been a call away, but it's only now that we realise the importance of communicating to reach out - to offer a helping hand, a shoulder for grief and a sounding board for hope. The same technology that kept us cocooned in our individual lives has enabled us to bond as a society.

• Family

  Being at home has made us aware of the importance of family. Spending quality time has brought in more engagement with parents, just as doing things together has renewed bonds with the kids. With it, has also come the realisation that we need to actively protect those who depend on us. That it is not enough to provide for their present, but for their future too. Ongoing global events have shown us that complacency about health, finances, jobs and life is not a good idea.

  Centuries of joint family caring and extended clan networks had induced a sense of comfort that has fled in an instant. We realise that the families we take for granted need to be actively cared for. That the future isn't something that will materialise only decades later. And that it isn't always just in the newspapers that we can hear bad news.

  This is exactly why opting for a sound life insurance plans like HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Life Term Plans doesn't just ensure peace of mind for you; it ensures that your family and dependents can live a peaceful life without financial worries, all through their life.

• Learnings, new experiences -

  And while we learn the value of people around us, we are also discovering new facets to ourselves. From being hesitant experimenters, we have embraced virtual meetings, online cooking tutorials and remote learning classrooms for the children. Play-dates are now online and even the older set are learning new hobbies and skills like gardening and crocheting over the net. Just baking banana bread is pass.

• Gratitude

  These were invisible people who undertook all the crucial services that made our lives smoother. They kept the wheels of the economy turning and took care of everything from our health, daily needs to law and order. The last few months have made us realise the value of the local policemen, the sanitation workers who keep the neighbourhood clean, the milk deliveries that continued uninterrupted and the vegetable vendors who made sure our supplies never run out.

• Nature

  Lesser vehicles on the roads meant lesser pollution, and that means we have been treated to the sights of cleaner rivers, bluer skies and unexpected birdsong for some months now. A lesser carbon imprint existence is not just possible, it's also enjoyable, we now realise. To those of us caught up in a daily routine, the pleasures of a clear sunrise and an unexpected rainbow have made us appreciate nature that much better.

• Money matters

  Furloughs and cutbacks are words that have been added to our daily vocabulary in the last few months. Suddenly, purse strings have had to be tightened and frivolous expenses trimmed as we negotiated an uncertain time where a job loss or pay cut loomed ominously. We have realised that it is spending on the important things that matter and that saving and investing for the future is no longer an option, but a necessity. Offerings like HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Life Term Plans make a lot of sense now more than ever.

  Counting the many small blessings which add up to the happiness that we always wanted- our family's current and continued happiness - is finally what matters most. It has taken a jolt for us to realise this, but now, more than ever, it is important to use your finances prudently to make sure the the most important asset, your family is cared for, during your life and after.

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ARN: ED/08/20/20316