This Grateful Guy

Happy places, happy days.

27 months ago, on suggestion from my good friend Saad, I wrote a poem about a guy who wanted to go places. 12 months ago, I wrote another poem after becoming a guy who actually went places and traveled to his heart’s content.

Today, I write to you with a story about my latest trip. Over a 10 day period, I visited England, met old friends and made many new ones. Thanks to a supportive ecosystem at my new job, I was able to make the most out of my break. I took almost a thousand pictures, and even wrote to you, dear reader! And I enjoyed it soooo much!

Today’s poem commemorates my England trip and how it affected me.

Alright, poem starts in 3… 2… 1!

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Today we meet, this grateful guy,
his feet up in the clouds.
His heart so full of joy and love,
his happiness compounds.

He'd waited for a year to see,
a different, distant land.
And now he's had a journey that
outshone his finest plans.

He's grateful because he has friends
with open hearts and homes.
He's grateful that he finds his place
wherever he may roam.

He met those lovely friends of his,
those dearest to his heart.
The moments shared with all of them -
a priceless work of art.

The Big Ben's chime, the North Sea's rhyme,
and ancient Roman walls.
He saw some merry carnivals.
Oh man! He was enthralled!

Across each town and city,
every walk was his reward.
He met amazing strangers, too,
and new friendships were formed.

He saw himself within that world,
become his own true self.
As if that world was just his home,
with well-known sights and smells.

It was but ten short days,
but it felt like it was twenty.
For when the heart is satisfied,
abundance is aplenty.

So when and if you meet him next,
before you say goodbye - 
with a heartfelt smile, he'll let you know,
that he's a grateful guy!

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That’s it! Thanks for checking out edition no. 119 of Hello Universe!

Check out Some Fun Stuff below.

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Some Fun Stuff

This is a place where I recommend read-worthy, hum-worthy, and watch-worthy content from across the internet. The underlined words are links that you can click to access my suggestions:

1. Read “Was it worth it for Facebook to become Meta?” by The Diff: I like it when qualified people talk about serious things like finance and technology. Byrne Hobart if a qualified CFA with years of experience on real financial decision-making, and thus, his newsletter “The Diff” is one that I read religiously. This article analysing the transformation of Facebook to Meta and its subsequent results is a great example of a qualified individual commenting on complex issues through rigorous analysis. I encourage you to check out Byrne’s high quality writing!

2. Listen to “Waterfalls” by Aron Ottignon: A relaxing jazzy piano track. What a delight to listen to!

3. Watch “Why North is up” by Map Men: Ah Map Men, you never cease to surprise and entertain me. An exceptional yet funny video on the concept of North being the default “up” direction that we use. Highly recommended, check it out!

That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!