So Grateful For

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I have been feeling so fortunate this week and genuinely excited about so many things that it seems the perfect time to write out a little love list to the galaxy. What about you? Even if it's been a rough week, especially if it's been a rough week, take a minute to voice out a few things that you're grateful for... be it by writing a list in a journal, telling a friend about what's got you grinning, or speaking it aloud on your drive to work. It might seem like a silly activity, but focusing some positive energy on the things that we're content with is a simple way to raise our spirits, lessen our stresses, and remind us that there are good things going on in this wacky world. Here's what's got me buzzing this week...

Discovering the wonder of the food processor (it turns cauliflower into fluffy pillowy heaven!), and making this yummy, healthy, and satisfying raw version of veggie fried rice.

Moving forward with projects at work.

Finding a face wash I can identify every single ingredient in. It's remarkably soft and luscious, and it smells so good I want to eat it (and so natural I could).

45 degree weather melting away the snow from Tuesday.

Venturing to a new yoga studio... that has two free 90 minute classes a week and a $5 community class on Sundays! Anybody who's paid $15 drop-in rate for a 60 minute class knows what a rarity this is.

Planning weekend getaways.

Being inspired by the Olympics, and not just that saddened that I missed my calling as a professional curling player (curler?). I've got men's figure skating on in the backgrounds as I type..

Firing up my trusty Excalibur for some tasty treat making this week.

Guiltlessly slowing down, and spending more time doing the things I really want.

So Grateful For

Photo via Zedo Max

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you enjoyed a special day with friends and family, however you choose to celebrate the start of the holiday season. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner followed by a never-ending game of darts and plenty of laughter. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to remember all of the things we're fortunate to have and grateful for in our lives. This year I'm especially thankful for:

• My wonderful (and growing!) family
• Squash, in every form
  
• Friends, old and new
• Flannel pjs
  
• Employment
  
• Massive bowls of popcorn
• Hairy siblings
• Fresh starts
• Nights the pool is warm
• Raw food potlucks
• Muscles sore from use
• Simplifying
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Foggy fall mornings
• Our fellow creature-kind
  
• Someone special to share it all with

What are you thankful for this year?

Soul Food

Photo via Vegetarian Women

What are you doing to nourish your spirit this week? What steps have you taken to honor yourself? What have you been feeding your divine energy?

Ok, you do not have to book a 76 day spiritual retreat to an Indian ashram in order to connect with your inner essence and experience a sense of contentment (although Tina of Think Simple Now did and it sounds amazing - check out her reflections here). But even making little contributions to your spirit's piggy bank can yield major returns when it comes to your world view and the way you interact with those around you.

So what kind of soul food are we talking about here? I think of soul food as anything that brings new energy and life to all that is best within us. Maybe it's an activity that gives you renewed sense of purpose and joy. Maybe it's a mantra you use to help you tackle tough challenges. Maybe it's a person that encourages you to follow your own path in life. Whatever your soul food - it's important to make time to enjoy it... and there's no time like the present!

Photo via Self Hypnosis

Still not sure what your own soul food is? Give a few of these suggestions a try and see what resonates with you. Once you find the kind of soul food that makes your heart swell with fulfillment and helps put your mind at peace, make a point to consume it regularly.

• Close your eyes and listen to music that carries you to a whole nother level
  
• Write in a gratitude journal, or simply list out things you're grateful for
• Take a yoga, or tai chi class
• Cook a nutritious meal for someone you love
  
• Try meditation, either by taking a class or using one of these methods
• Call an old friend you've been meaning to catch up with
• Invest in a long, restful night of sleep - your body will thank you
• Read a book that stirs something inside you
  
• Open up to your significant other about your dreams
• Volunteer doing something you love
  
• Eat a piece of the finest chocolate you can find
• Connect with your pets - or borrow a friend's if you need to!
• Paint, draw, write, or sing out how you feel
• Get a massage

So Grateful For

Photo from The Eclectic Garden

Since it's Thursday (the day Gala over at iCiNG posts Things I Love Thursday) and I'm bursting with good vibes it seems only appropriate to share a few things I'm so grateful for. And when I say bursting, I mean the kind of gratitude that you feel pounding in your chest that makes you want to hug people you'd typically rather slap and jump into a lake to feel completely enveloped by the world. At one point today, without any intention of doing so, I heard a song on Pandora that caused a major dance session in my apartment; air guitar was involved and I will not apologize to any bystanders who may have caught sight of this horribly embarrassing scene through my open windows. 

• Surprise Mail - Nothing beats finding real mail hiding beneath a pile of grocery store fliers and Comcast ads. I think I smiled for an hour straight after reading my surprise delivery.  Thank you, Gram :)

• Random Coffee Dates - I met with a prospective student IMBA program this week and had no expectations, but it turned out we had a ton in common. I love meeting people who totally amaze you and remind you who you are. Seeing pieces of yourself in someone else is such a little lightening bolt of enlightenment. 

• Midterms - Grateful for the tests themselves? Hardly. Grateful that they signify a mere 5 weeks of classes to go? That I am. 

• Acceptance - Even when they don't last, moments of acceptance - of everything that isn't just right or the way I thought - are so liberating. I know things are going to be just the way they need to be when they need to be.

• Weekend Adventures - I am so ready for a good dose of unfamiliar territory and a few uninterrupted hours of airplane introspection, and both will be involved when I head out of town tomorrow. I am so grateful for my boyfriend. He's perfect. Photos and more to come!

Was that an especially heavy list? I am in a major period of transition right now - forget a new chapter, I'm ready to start a whole new book. It's bringing on some definite highs and lows, and lots of anticipation. What are you grateful for today? What's making you burst with bravado and has you air guitaring on the floor? 

So Grateful For...

Since I have been feeling so grateful lately I thought I'd make my own list of gratitude to share. 

• I am so grateful for the health of my family. I realize this tends to be at the top of most people's gratitude lists but it certainly isn't to be overlooked. Recently a close family friend has been experiencing a period of very serious health concerns and it pains me to think what she and her family must be experiencing. With her in mind, I am especially grateful for the health and happiness of my own family. 

• The end of the quarter is finally here! As of 6 pm tomorrow, following the completion of my last final, I will be a mere 9 weeks from graduation. Woohoo! How will I be relaxing before my last quarter of school begins?

• After finals I'll be off to New Hampshire for a week with my parents and my hairy siblings - that's a photo of my sister Edie above. I loving call my parent's adopted racing greyhounds coma therapy dogs as they make you perfectly content to sit on the couch for hours on end without moving a muscle... well maybe just your forearms for a pet every now and then.

• Fantastic fruits and veggies are in season and so delicious. Since I have been working to incorporate as much whole produce and scrumptious raw foods into my diet as I can, it's perfect timing. Speaking of raw foods, I'm so happy to have discovered...

• Kristen's Raw Blog. For those not familiar with the raw foods lifestyle, it's all about eating loads of uncooked, unprocessed, luscious vegan fare in the form nature intended it. Raw foods are the best way to get major nutrition into each bite and feel fantastic while doing it. Kristen's website is a great source for more info about raw foods and she herself is a tremendous example of how to thrive with a high raw lifestyle (and look fabulous!).

• And last but not least for this list is my love affair with cycling. For a while I had gotten out of the biking thing in favor of time at the gym, but these days there's nothing that gives me a more fulfilling workout than speeding around the park on two wheels. Being out in the spring air, the whole panorama illuminated with an early evening glow, it is so enlivening. 

So what made it on to your gratitude list? Now is the perfect time to try leaving a comment to share your thoughts - just click the "comments" link that appears below this article and leave your input. 

Gratitude

Photo found here.

I have been feeling really grateful lately and it reminds me of that old song about falling asleep counting your blessings instead of sheep.  Now whether that song makes you smile or cringe there’s one thing that remains true for all of us – being grateful and recognizing the good in our lives does wonders for our mental and physical health.

That’s right, being grateful does not only improve our mood and outlook on the world, but it can help us to decrease our stress levels. This second part is especially important because stress wreaks total havoc on our physical health; I’m talking everything from chronic headaches to a wimpy immune system, troubles in the bathroom to sleep problems and more. You can learn more about the affects of stress as well as ways to combat it here.

So what does being grateful have to do with all this?  Well, when we experience and express gratitude we are recognizing the things that are going well in our lives. This helps us to keep a healthy level of optimism and can be really beneficial when unexpected challenges arise. When we take the time to reflect on what we’re grateful it’s much easier to believe that good things will continue to happen in our lives. It is also a great way to put the daily stressors of life back into perspective.

What are you grateful for today? What's making your toes scrunch with delight? Who's got your heart smiling so wide it's ready to burst? Make a list and begin to recognize how many things you have to get excited, contented, elated, relaxed, and enlivened about. Keep it in your pocket for a week or post it on the fridge to remind you what's going well. 

Your list is also a wonderful way to make sure you are letting other people know you appreciate what they do. If you wrote down that you are thankful for your mama, make sure you let her know it! Maybe you are glad you discovered a website that has helped you personally or professionally - go ahead and jot an email to the creator and let them know how much their work means to you.  Think of this as gratitude karma. When you let others know that you are grateful for them, they are more likely to keep up their efforts... when they keep up their efforts, they continue to share their fabulous self with others... Conversely, you can become the recipient of another's fabulousness because someone else encouraged their efforts.  

So what has my heart thumping this week? Tune in tomorrow to find out!