Hi Diwa… 

Today you turned two months old. 

Two whole months. 

Which probably doesn’t sound very impressive to adults, but honestly? Every tiny milestone feels huge when you’re a mother. Two months of late-night feeds. Two months of random crying detective work. Two months of staring at you like a complete weirdo while you sleep. 

And right now, as I’m recording this, you’re beside me in your little rocker chair. 

You’re randomly kicking your legs into the air like you’re training for baby Olympics. Throwing your tiny hands around dramatically for absolutely no reason. Occasionally staring into empty space like you’re downloading information from another dimension. 

Honestly, babies are strange little creatures. 

And if you suddenly cry somewhere in the background while I’m recording this… that’s okay too. 

I actually hope someday you hear these little sounds and realise this wasn’t recorded in some perfect podcast studio. 

This was real life. 

This was me sitting beside you while you were still tiny enough to fit in a rocker chair. And today, because you turned two months old, I’ve been feeling really thankful. So I want to talk to you about gratitude.

Now listen… 

I’m talking to little Diwa today. Not future adult Diwa. 

Because trust me, I have MANY thoughts about gratitude and life and energy and the way people experience the world. 

But we’ll save the bigger conversations for another time. 

For now, I just want to teach you something simple. Something I hope becomes part of the way you see life as you grow up. 

Because I think grateful people experience the world differently. Not because their lives are perfect. But because they actually NOTICE life. 

And sometimes people spend so much time thinking about what they DON’T have… that they completely miss the good things already sitting right in front of them. 

I don’t want that for you. I want you to notice little things. 

Like: 

Warm pandesal in the morning. Rain tapping on the bubong while you’re cozy inside. A really good meal when you’re hungry. Clean bedsheets after a long day. Laughing so hard your stomach hurts. Your cats randomly deciding you are worthy of their attention for five whole minutes.

Tiny things. 

But tiny things matter more than people realise. 

One thing I actually love about Filipino culture is that even when life gets difficult, people still somehow find ways to laugh. 

Brownout? Someone’s already making jokes. 

Typhoon? Somebody’s still cooking noodles and posting memes online. 

Filipinos are honestly built different sometimes.

And I think part of that comes from learning how to appreciate simple joys. Not perfect lives. 

Just simple moments. 

Now listen… 

Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everything is okay all the time. Sometimes life is annoying as hell. Sometimes people disappoint you. Sometimes things don’t go your way. Sometimes your fries arrive cold and honestly that’s a personal attack. You’re still allowed to feel upset. 

But gratitude helps remind you that even on difficult days, there are still good things around you too. 

Maybe someone hugged you. Maybe you had a really good nap. Maybe your favourite song played at the perfect moment. Maybe one of your cats sat beside you while you were sad. 

Those little things matter. 

And I think happiness is usually hidden inside ordinary moments people rush past too quickly. So maybe someday, when you’re older and life feels overwhelming… 

I hope you remember to slow down long enough to notice the small beautiful things too. Anyway… 

that’s all for today, Diwa. And happy two months, little one. 

Keep becoming. 

I love you. 

Xo, Mama


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I’m Lala

Diwang Malaya is my corner of the internet for thinking out loud, following questions, and occasionally wandering pretty far down a rabbit hole. Ideas, patterns, history, spirituality, and everything in between.

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