Gratitude Monday, a tribute to my first employer, Mr. Budike.

When I first joined corporate world about 11 years ago, I got to work with the greatest mentor so far. For it was my first job and I had a lot to learn, never did I expect that this man was going to have this much effect in my life.

Two years ago he died and as I was struggling with my life back then, it really didn’t occur to me that he had died and I hate to admit that I simply forgot to pay my last respects. Last year I was yet again reminded that he passed away and it made me feel so sick to my stomach that I missed that. As I was grieving for the loss of this wonderful man, I looked back on all the things I had learned from him.

He learned me how to dress properly for work, he learned me how to introduce myself to others, how to make coffee, even how to sweep the floor, how to do research effectively, how to be kind and friendly for not everyone had a good day when they meet you, how to not take anything personal. But best of all, I learned how to be thankful.

He introduced Monday Morning Meetings. And to my surprise we did not discuss any work related stuff at all. Every Monday morning we had to come up with five things we were grateful for. And yes at first we thought how much more crazy can this get, cause all my colleague and I could think of was what was going wrong in our lives. That was much more simple and beforehand.

But we had to do it, and we did. At first we kept it simple, just to have something to say, but slowly we could make up stories about all the good that was happening in our lives. And when things didn’t go as expected, we also acknowledged that, cried or complained about it but finished off with what good the bad has brought us.

So as I was processing through the grief, the belated grief, I called up my cousin the one who gave me the news the second time around and I asked her to do Gratitude Mondays with me. To my delight she agreed on it, so ever since on Mondays, we make up a list of everything we are grateful for and mail it to each other. We made a habit of it that each time something goes bad, we wouldn’t complain about it. We would talk about it, if needed and then we would turn the page and make something wonderful of it.

So to this man, probably in heaven: “Thank you. I am grateful to have met you. For I’ve learned so many things from you, you didn’t have to teach me, but did anyway. Because of it, I am a better person, a better friend, and who knows what else…”