April 12, 2009

Today I am grateful for water.

Today I am grateful for my flash drive.

Today I am grateful for garlic-stuffed olives – yum!

Today I am grateful for Netflix.

Today I am grateful for candles.

Today I am grateful for ebooks.

April 11, 2009

Today I am grateful for rain!

Today I am grateful for Aardbark Grooming, where they did a great job grooming my dog.

Today I am grateful for Cheryl, Dee, Deanna, Emi, Scott, and Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for finishing my taxes and getting a refund.

Today I am grateful for FeedReader.

Today I am grateful for The History Channel.

Today I am grateful for a long weekend.

April 10, 2009

Today I am grateful for paid holidays.

Today I am grateful for wind, sun, and blue skies.

Today I am grateful for OpenOffice.

Today I am grateful for Emi, Deanna, Dione, and Rob.

Today I am grateful for wet doggy kisses.

77 Reasons to be Grateful

from eDragonu
love your life for everything you already have
love your life for what you are yet to receive
love your life for all your certainties
love your life for the friends you have
love your life for the wonderful journeys you had
love your life for the friends you will get
love your life for all the bad advice you didn’t follow
love your life for your beautiful memories
love your life for the ones you love
love your life for the ones you forgot, as they are still to enrich your life
love your life for the work you do, as this is your gift to the others
love your life for the jokes you still wait to hear
love your life for the beautiful travels you are still to make
love your life for everything you are not sure about, as it will still challenge your being
love your life for all the beautiful sunrises you remember
love your life for all the fantastic sunsets you still recall
love your life for tomorrow’s sunrise
love your life for yesterday sunset
love your life for the gifts you are yet to receive
love your life for the health you have
love your life for all the beauty you can spot around you
love your life for the ugliness around you, as it serves you to contrast the beauty you are ignoring
love your life for the riddles you haven’t yet solved
love your life for all your unanswered questions
love your life for all your victories
love your live for all the good advice you followed
love your life for all your lost battles, as they are your precious lessons
love your life for your enemies, as they are there to give birth to you forgiveness
love your life for all the small things in your life
love your life for all the ambitious goals you’ve set
love your life for all the answers you got so far
love your life for the smiles you get every day
love your life for the smiles you give every day
love your life for your energetic mornings
love your life for your romantic evenings
love your life for the life rediscovered through the eyes of your children
love your life for the smell of the rain
love your life for the gifts you still have to make
love your life for all the games you haven’t yet played
love your life for the next first snow
love your life for all the great ideas you had today
love your life for all the great ideas you will have tomorrow
love your life for tomorrow’s surprises
love your life for today’s gifts
love your life for all your fulfilled dreams
love your life for yesterday’s memories, they are there to enlight you
love your life for all the nice words you haven’t yet said to your loved ones
love your life for all the nice words you heard from your loved ones
love your life for all the nice people you haven’t yet met
love your life for all your mistakes, so you can have plenty of time to make up for them
love your life for all the adventures you haven’t yet had
love your life for all the books you haven’t yet read
love your life for all the books you haven’t yet written
love your life for all the unborn challenges you still have to face
love your life for all the stories you haven’t yet heard, written or imagined
love your life for the person who’s looking at you from the mirror every morning
love your life for the nurturing family you already have
love your life for all you have to share with others
love your life for all you’ve lost in your journey, as it will only make room for something even bigger
love your life for the feeling of your heart overflowing with love
love your life for all your unfulfilled dreams as you will have plenty of time to make them true
love your life for all the opportunities that are waiting for you just around the corner
love your life for the personal freedom you conquered
love your life for everything you created so far
love your life for the beauty of every spring
love your life for the energy of every summer
love your life for the emotions of every fall
love your life for the cold beauty of every winter
love your life for all the beauty inside you, waiting yet to be discovered
love your life for all the fantastic colors that are shaping your world every day
love your life for all the wonderful music you’ve heard so far
love your life for all the people you have met so far, they are your precious universe
love your life for wind that caresses your face every day
love your life for the all the unexpected changes of your plans
love your life for all the fights you avoided
love your life for all the crossroads you meet every day, they are there to offer you the best path you can chose
love your life for every single second, as this is all you have, only this infinite second

And here are my additions:

love your life for the mistakes you have made - they make you who you are
love your life for all of its imperfections - they keep things interesting
love your life for all of its pain and suffering - it helps you grow

March Gratitude

It may seem as though I’m not very grateful this month. I certainly haven’t been posting regularly. March is a pretty rough time for me. I was diagnosed with cancer in March, and I still get a little freaked out around mid-March. Last year my cousin was diagnosed with cancer in March, and we buried him in April. This year, my dad was diagnosed with cancer in March. My aunt went into the hospital on March 27 and was close to death. There’s just something about this month that is tough for my family. In the midst of that, however, there are some things to be grateful for.

I’m really grateful for my family. I’m especially grateful for my new grand-niece, Abigail. If pictures can be believed, she’s quite lovely. She gave her mama a tough time over the last couple of month, and we were worried that she might be born with some long-term problems. As it turns out, she’s radiantly healthy, and we are all very grateful for that. And, my aunt, who we thought was leaving us, seems to be recovering after all. It's still touch and go, but they found the problem and it can be treated.

I’m grateful for the folks here at work who put up with my personal March Madness, especially Leslie, Dave, Mike, and Bridget. I’m grateful to have a job in this economy, but how much more blessed am I to be working with such wonderful people.

I’m also grateful for my Toastmasters club and all the wonderful people in it. I’m especially grateful for Emi, Barbara, and Rob.

I’m very grateful for all the bloggers out there with food allergies who contribute their hard-won wisdom and recipes to the world out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s been so encouraging to me as I’ve tried to adjust to my food allergies. In that same vein, I am very grateful for the restaurants that serve food that I can eat, where the servers know what ingredients are in each dish, and where they don’t become impatient if you have a special request. I am especially grateful to my neighborhood Mexican restaurant, where I can get a good meal with friendly service every time I walk through the door without a moment of concern. If you're in the area, stop by at Rio Rico in Gilbert. They're great.

I am always grateful for my dog, who always has a spare kiss that he’d just love to share with me. He is so faithful and loving, even if I come home late. I read an article recently that says that when you look into the eyes of your dog while you are playing, it creates the same kind of hormonal changes in your body that would occur if you were playing with your child. Now that’s something to be really grateful for! What a gift dogs give us!

I am grateful for my Internet connection, my laptop, my car, my house, my clothes, my mind, my body, and so many other things that I tend to take for granted until they stop working for a while.

March 11, 12, and 13, 2009

On Wednesday I was so grateful for everyone at work, for El Pollo Loco, for the Internet as a source of information about food allergies, for everyone at Twilite Toastmasters, Wayne, and Christie.

On Thursday, I was grateful for Leslie, Dave, silliness at work, Emi, Rob, Cheryl, Bonnie, Peggy, Tamra, Dione, Wayne, and Gilbert Toastmasters.

Today I am grateful for Mike, Amy, Gretchen, Dee, almonds, Peggy, Emi, cookbooks, Barbara, and Wayne.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world!

New research suggests key to happiness is gratitude

Gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving a gift, is one of the essential ingredients for living a good life, Kashdan says. Kashdan's most recent paper, which was published online this week at the Journal of Personality, reveals that when it comes to achieving well-being, gender plays a role. He found that men are much less likely to feel and express gratitude than women.

"Previous studies on gratitude have suggested that there might be a difference in gender, and so we wanted to explore this further—and find out why. Even if it is a small effect, it could make a huge difference in the long run," says Kashdan.

In one study, Kashdan interviewed college-aged students and older adults, asking them to describe and evaluate a recent episode in which they received a gift. He found that women compared with men reported feeling less burden and obligation and greater levels of gratitude when presented with gifts. In addition, older men reported greater negative emotions when the gift giver was another man.

"The way that we get socialized as children affects what we do with our emotions as adults," says Kashdan. "Because men are generally taught to control and conceal their softer emotions, this may be limiting their well-being."

As director of the Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena at Mason, Kashdan is interested in the assessment and cultivation of well-being, curiosity, gratitude and meaning and purpose in life. He has been active in the positive psychology movement since 2000, when he taught one of the first college courses on the science of happiness.

Kashdan says that if he had to name three elements that are essential for creating happiness and meaning in life it would be meaningful relationships, gratitude, and living in the present moment with an attitude of openness and curiosity. His book "Curious?," which outlines ways people can enhance and maintain the various shades of well-being, is scheduled for release in April 2009 with HarperCollins.
Source: George Mason University

March 9 and 10, 2009

Monday I was very grateful for an easy day at work, a lovely tossed salad, and all my faxes going through on the first try! I was also grateful for getting home early to have a peaceful evening.

Today I am grateful for Bridget, Mike, Leslie, Sally, Erika, Dave, and Karen.

Today I am grateful for 99 cent tacos at Christine's.

Today I am grateful for tall tales and the boys who tell them.

Today I am grateful for cooking shows.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 8, 2009

Today I am grateful for a quiet day.

Today I am grateful for clean laundry.

Today I am grateful for time to snuggle with the dog.

Today I am grateful for rice pasta.

Today I am grateful for silence.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 5, 6, and 7, 2009

I have been so tired lately, I've gone to bed without transferring my gratitude to this blog. But I am grateful!

On Thursday I was grateful for Rob, Peggy, Emi, Wayne, and Dan. I'm also so grateful for my home Toastmasters club and all of its wonderful members. I attend other clubs, and I enjoy my visits there, but there's no place like home.

On Thursday I was also grateful for good news about my nephew and his wife.

On Friday I was grateful for a quiet, productive day at work. For Gretchen, Mike, Jody, and Leslie. I was also grateful for a free night at home and an early bed time.

Today I am grateful for Tamra, Rob, Christi, and a really fun G1 Area Contest.

Today I am grateful for Matt and his inspiring speech.

Today I am grateful for Cynthia and Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for all the wonderful people who volunteered to be functionaries and judges for the G4 Area Contest.

Today I am grateful for potato chips!

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 4, 2009

Today I am grateful for Leslie, Tina, and Jody.

Today I am grateful for unsweetened dried mango from Trader Joe's. Yum!

Today I am grateful for Lorrie, Scott, Jeannie, Erika, Christi, Evelyn, and Bill.

Today I am grateful for my La-Z-Boy chair.

Today I am grateful for Holly and Bob and the new baby that's on it's way right now!

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 3, 2009

Today I am grateful for my eyesight.

Today I am grateful for my sense of humor.

Today I am grateful for Ray's courage.

Today I am grateful for Jody, Tina, Nicole, Leslie, Mike, and Dave.

Today I am grateful for Miss Linda, who takes care of my dietary needs, even when it's difficult.

Today I am grateful for Daniel and Dave.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 2, 2009

Today I am grateful for Mike, Leslie, Sally, Iliana, Nicole, Robin, Linda, and Jody.

Today I am grateful for Emi and David.

Today I am grateful for tossed salad with chicken breast and Wishbone Italian dressing.

Today I am grateful for Lorrie, Dan, Jessi, and Christi.

Today I am grateful for my car.

Today I am grateful for a smooth day at work.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

March 1, 2009

Today I am grateful for a lovely quiet day and the opportunity to do some meditation.

Today I am grateful for weed spray.

Today I am grateful for my washing machine.

Today I am grateful for my silly dog.

Today I am grateful for sweet italian sausage and garlic tomato sauce. I'm also grateful for wheat-free pasta.

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 28, 2009

Today I am grateful for Connie, Emi, Evelyn, Lynn, Kyrie, and everyone else who helped with my contest. So many wonderful people and the contest reflected their dedication.

Today I am grateful for a long nap.

Today I am grateful for Naked Juice.

Today I am grateful for Bora Bora bars.

Today I am grateful for snuggling with my dog.

Today I am grateful for Feedreader.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 27, 2009

Today I am grateful for Kyrie and Evelyn.

Today I am grateful for Amy, Mike, Leslie, Dee, and Jody.

Today I am grateful for success stories who arrive in the flesh to show that our program works!

Today I am grateful for 3-hole punches.

Today I am grateful for email.

Today I am grateful for Mexican food.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 26, 2009

Today I am grateful for a quiet day at work.

Today I am grateful for my wonderful doggy.

Today I am grateful for curry and brown rice.

Today I am grateful for Emi, Barbara, Cheryl, Wayne, Dione, and Rob.

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 25, 2009

Today I am grateful for comp time which allowed a morning shopping trip at Trader Joe's.

Today I am grateful for Emi, Bonnie, and Cheryl.

Today I am grateful for Sally and Leslie.

Today I am grateful for Evelyn and Kyrie.

Today I am grateful for Erika, Scott, Bill, and Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for Toastmasters - the organization, the educational program, and the people you meet there.

Today I am grateful for Mike.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 24, 2009

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather.

Today I am grateful for safe travel.

Today I am grateful for Linda, Leslie, Sally, and Devaren.

Today I am grateful for Karen and Dave.

Today I am grateful for Evelyn and Kyrie.

Today I am grateful for pumpkin seeds.

Today I am grateful for my flash drive.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 23, 2009

Today I am grateful for free parking.

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather.

Today I am grateful for a productive day at work.

Today I am grateful for learning some new software tricks.

Today I am grateful for Emi, Melissa, Ann, Vinay, Siobhan, Jeff and Kaitlan.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 22, 2009

Today I am grateful for my sleep mask.

Today I am grateful for a quiet day in which to get a lot done.

Today I am grateful for meeting up with old friends via Facebook.

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 21, 2009

Today I am grateful for Sally, Ed, Dan, Lynn, Tim, Rose, Don, Emi, Connie, and all the other Toastmasters at the Rio contests this morning.

Today I am grateful for cheap Mardi Gras beads so I can have fun throwing them around at Toastmasters this week. And I am grateful for my new jester hat with the jaunty bells on it. Whooo hooo!

Today I am grateful for thrift stores and their eclectic selection of books and CDs.

Today I am grateful for naps.

Today I am grateful for coconut milk ice cream.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

February 20, 2009

Today I am grateful for grass and weed spray coming in a pump dispenser.

Today I am grateful for tuna.

Today I am grateful for green tea.

Today I am grateful for Emi and Rob.

Today I am grateful for the Light Rail Pirates.

Today I am grateful for discovering old friends on Facebook.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 19, 2009

Today I am grateful for Bosco, Vince, Bonnie, Emi, Rob, Wayne, and Dan.

Today I am grateful for Barbara!!!! and Peggy!!!! and Deanna!!!!

Today I am grateful for green salad and curried lentils.

Today I am grateful for Sally and Scott.

Today I am grateful for Dione, Carissa and Corine.

Today I am grateful for my car and for light traffic after work.

Today I am grateful for my goofy dog and his wet sloppy kisses.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to speak at Toastmasters twice this week.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 18, 2009

Today I am grateful for a warm shower in the morning to wake up my brain.

Today I am grateful for Sally.

Today I am grateful for Jane, Ryan, Robert, Celia, and Dipak - courageous Toastmasters all.

Today I am grateful for EMI!!!!

Today I am grateful for Sally, Erika, and Leslie.

Today I am grateful for Scott, Erika (wow, two Erikas in one day), Edwinna, Bill, and Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to share a speech about the Youth Leadership Program and how it blessed me.

Today I am grateful for coconut milk ice cream sweetened with agave syrup. Yum!

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world!

February 17, 2009

Today I am grateful for Emi, Rob, Tamra, and Erika.

Today I am grateful for finding my desk at work. Such a decrease in stress level! Sweet!

Today I am grateful for beautiful veggies and a yummy tossed salad with chicken breast. Thank you, Linda!

Today I am grateful for Karen and her wonderful massages.

Today I am grateful for carnations on my desk at work.

Today I am grateful for my flash drive.

Today I am grateful for Livvy and Dave.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change your world.

February 16, 2009

Today I am grateful for wonderful weather and a visit to the dog park with Barbara and Batman.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 15, 2009

Today I am grateful for online traffic school. And I swear I will never speed again, no matter how late I am for a Toastmasters meeting.

Today I am grateful for Kinkos.

Today I am grateful for the dog park, and the wet labrador retrievers, and Barbara, and Batman, and my own very tired dog.

Today I am grateful for a sunny day.

Today I am grateful for mexican food.

Today I am grateful for green tea.

Today I am grateful for whole rye bread.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 15, 2009

Today I am grateful for my washing machine.

Today I am grateful for green tea.

Today I am grateful for authors who maintain blogs and are accessible to their readers for questions.

Today I am grateful for my flash drive.

Today I am grateful for my Internet connection.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 14, 2009

Today I am grateful for a comfortable bed and lots of pillows.

Today I am grateful for my sleep mask.

Today I am grateful for my ice pack.

Today I am grateful for green tea.

Today I am grateful for vindaloo chicken from Trader Joe's - none of my allergens are in it!

Today I am grateful for my goofy dog.

Today I am grateful for Open Office.

Today I am grateful for Barbara and Emi.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 13, 2009

Today I am grateful for Leslie and Linda.

Today I am grateful for Dione.

Today I am grateful for clean drinking water.

Today I am grateful for my computer and my Internet connection.

Today I am grateful for second chances.

Today I am grateful for Trader Joe's Spicy Hummus dip.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world!

February 12, 2009

Today I am grateful for taco salad.

Today I am grateful for Rob and Emi.

Today I am grateful for Leslie.

Today I am grateful for my job.

Today I am grateful for Erika.

Today I am grateful for my home club, Gilbert Toastmasters, and the wonderful people who make it so special.

Today I am grateful for the waitress at the IHOP who was patient with my special order.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 11, 2009

Today I am grateful for all the boys in my Youth Leadership Program. My heart is so full of gratitude for everything that they've taught me that I can't think of anything else.

I am grateful for the original poetry they shared and the stories they told. I am grateful for the speeches they gave, showing their gratitude for the opportunities this program offered them.

I cannot even describe how grateful I am to these boys. I wish I could, because they should know. I am so proud of them.

February 10, 2009

Today I am grateful for Sally and Leslie.

Today I am grateful for almonds.

Today I am grateful for my paper punch and my stapler.

Today I am grateful for TINA!!!!!!

Today I am grateful for Karen and her wonderful massages.

Today I am grateful for Dave, Daniel, and all the boys in the Youth Leadership Program.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 9, 2009

Today I am grateful for my car.

Today I am grateful for rain.

Today I am grateful for C and T.

Today I am grateful for Leslie, Sally, and Mike.

Today I am grateful for Emi and Rob.

Today I am grateful for Trader Joe's.

Today I am grateful for warm blankets.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 8, 2009

Today I am grateful for the gratitude party on Twitter today and to @yoga_mama for organizing and promoting it.

Today I am grateful for leftover curry and a Netflix movie to watch while cuddling with my dog. That's a lot of blessings in one sentence!

Today I am grateful for cantalope and blueberries.

Today I am grateful for all of my inner child's toys, and especially my Raggedy Ann.

Today I am grateful for Wayne and Barbara.

Today I am grateful for clean drinking water.

Today I am grateful for a warm home on a cold rainy day.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world!

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to live joyously

February 7, 2009

Today I am grateful for Evelyn, Brian, Kyrie, and Ryan.

Today I am grateful for Rob and Emi.

Today I am grateful for Daniel and his Gratitude Watch which mentioned my article. Here is a terrific article that he linked to that gives the keys to gratitude. I'm grateful for this article, because it helped me realize that, without knowing it, I'm doing a lot of things right in this process.

Today I am grateful for this picture on Flickr.

Today I am grateful for cookbooks. I rarely use the recipes as it's written in them, but I love having a place to start playing from.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

February 6, 2009

Today I am grateful for rabbits (thanks Emi for the tip!).

Today I am grateful for Tina and Mike.

Today I am grateful for Mary.

Today I am grateful for Trader Joe's.

Today I am grateful for Cheryl.

Today I am grateful for green grapes.

Today I am grateful for grapefruit.

Today I am grateful for my new George Foreman grill.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change your world.

February 5, 2009

Today I am grateful for Emi in so many ways.

Today I am grateful for Leslie.

Today I am grateful for another beautiful spring day, fresh air, and sunshine.

Today I am grateful for chips and salsa. Ole!

Today I am grateful for Tina.

Today I am grateful for Dee.

Today I am grateful for Target.

Today I am grateful for Gilbert Toastmasters, especially Rob, Dan, Steve, Barbara, Corin, Cheryl, Vince, Matt, Wayne, Jessi, and another Dan. And did I mention that I'm grateful for Emi? Because I really am!

Today I'm grateful for Dave, who goes into the lion's den next week. It is going to be so exciting to watch him discover that there's no lion in there, just kids who are going to really enjoy working with him.

That's me. What about you? What turn you on today? Share your gratitude and change the world!

February 4, 2009

Today I am grateful for members of RioCopa and Gilbert Toastmasters who volunteered to help a small club hold their spring contest. Way to go Toastmasters!

Today I am grateful for Amy, Dave, Dan, and Sally.

Today I am grateful for the beautiful sunshine we were blessed by today.

Today I am grateful for squeaky toys and tug ropes.

Today I am grateful for Emi.

Today I am grateful for Pat.

Today I am grateful for El Pollo Loco.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

February 3, 2009

Today I am grateful for Mary.

Today I am grateful for Cindy, who brought me grapefruit from her tree.

Today I am grateful for acupuncture.

Today I am grateful for massage.

Today I am grateful for finishing the Youth Leadership Program. It's been so awesome to see the boys improve and to know that Toastmasters has given them a belief in their worth and their ability to change.

Today I am grateful for curry!

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 2, 2009

Today I am grateful that I felt well enough to go back to work.

Today I am grateful for Roberto who killed the scorpion that was coming for me. Ewwww!

Today I am grateful for a gorgeous spring day.

Today I am grateful for Fred and Karl.

Today I am grateful for Natalee.

Today I am grateful for Cynthia.

Today I am grateful for acupuncture and moxibustion.

Today I am grateful for Emi.

Today I am grateful that I have so many people in my life to be grateful for!

Today I am grateful for water.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

February 1, 2009

Today I am grateful for a restful night's sleep.

Today I am grateful for a call from Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for roasted potatoes.

Today I am grateful for Emi.

Today I am grateful for squeaky toys and the silly dog who loves them.

Today I am grateful for my recliner.

Today I am grateful for raw almonds.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

January 31, 2009

NL-131562kiss
Originally uploaded by JEMagain12

Today I am grateful for a clear schedule.

Today I am grateful for my sleep mask so that I could sleep in.

Today I am grateful for Rob.

Today I am grateful for Flickr and the people who share their photos, art, and ephemera there.

Today I am grateful for food bloggers.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world.

Month 1: The Gratitude Change

In December of 2008, I began to think about the changes I wanted to make in the New Year. I didn't want to focus on superficial changes, like losing weight or becoming more organized, although both of those things would be beneficial in my life. I decided that I wanted to make a change that would have a lasting impact on my life and the lives of those I meet. Now, at the one month mark, I want to take a look at what I've learned so far.

It hasn't been an easy month. I've had a couple of emergency room visits for x-rays following bad falls. I've broken a couple of toes and sprained the fibular collateral ligament in my knee. I've been doing a detox program with an restricted diet. It's been a particularly stressful month at work, and I've been trying to learn how to be the vice president of education for a large, active Toastmasters club. I am putting in 4 14-hours days plus an 8 hour day every week between work and Toastmasters, so sleep is at a premium. The last week of the month, I've had an exceptionally vigorous intestinal bug. It would have been easy to put this project off until February. Except February will probably be just as challenging, as will March, April, May, etc. This is the world I live in. If I want to change it, I must bring gratitude to bear, even when I'm on the floor yelling, "I've fallen, and I can't get up."

I'm glad I stuck it out this month, because, as a wise person once said, it's in adversity that we meet ourselves. I learned that when life is challenging, I become blind to my blessings. I have to make a concerted effort to bring my focus back to gratitude. If I don't make that effort, the bad stuff takes over. Neurologically, this makes sense. I have an extensive history of trauma and a diagnosis of PTSD. One of the major symptoms of this, for me, is hypervigilance. My brain is always on alert, waiting for something to go wrong. This expectation that bad things will be happening to me is one of the major reasons I wanted to cultivate gratitude in my life - so that I would get into the habit of re-focusing my thoughts. This month taught me that this change is more important for me than I had guessed.

The biggest thing that I learned this month is that it's not enough for me to get up in the morning and write 5 things in a journal. Or to do that before going to bed at night. I learned that this is something I need to do all day long. What works best for me is to keep an email open at work and to add to it in the moment. When I remember to do this, my day is completely transformed, no matter what else is happening. I also believe that writing in my "journal" this way is helping me build the habit of living in gratitude all day long. I'm going to start integrated my day planner into this regime for the times when I'm not at my work email.

It is fascinating to watch how the practice of gratitude can transform a bad day into a good one. I found myself at home this week, sick as a dog, enjoying myself. Why? Because I had comfortable pjs, warm blankets, and paid sick leave. I didn't have to focus on being sick; I could focus instead on the support I had for becoming healthy again. That was a pretty amazing shift in how my day "felt". I'm really looking forward to the second month of living in gratitude.

January 30, 2009

Today I am grateful for Emi and Rob.

Today I am grateful for art blogs.

Today I am grateful for soft pillows and warm blankets.

Today I am grateful for applesauce and frozen peaches.

Today I am grateful for ice packs.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude and change the world.

Today I am grateful for this pale blue dot

January 29, 2009

Today I am grateful for the Background Fairy.

Today I am grateful for paid sick leave.

Today I am grateful for wet doggy kisses.

Today I am grateful for warm blankets.

Today I am grateful for naps.

Today I am grateful for Turtle Island's coconut milk ice cream sweetened with agave syrup. Yum!

Today I am grateful for Rob and Cheryl stepping into the breach tonight at Toastmasters.

January 28, 2009

Today I am grateful for rice and hemp protein.

Today I am grateful to be done with the detox program for my food allergies. I feel good!

Today I am grateful for Dee, Rob, and Dan.

Today I am grateful for Dee, Rocky, Leslie, Eric, Erika, and Felicia.

Today I am grateful for Scott, Edwinna, Bill, Lacy, and Lorrie.

Today I am grateful for the kindness of strangers.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

January 27, 2009

Today I am grateful for Evelyn, Leslie, Dave, Gretchen, Nancy, Cindy, Rob, Emi, and Amy.

Today I am grateful for busy signals. And is that ever a change of opinion! We have Mike to thank for that, so today I am also grateful for Mike!

Today I am grateful for coconut milk ice cream sweetened with agave syrup. Oh, that there is even such a thing in this world is miraculous and nothing else matters.

Today I am grateful for Matt - his courage, his candor, his willingness to be the change.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to listen and share.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world while I eat that ice cream!

January 26, 2009

Today I am grateful for Tina, Mike, Gretchen, and Sally.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

Today I am grateful for Whole Foods! Whoo hoo! I hit the motherlode.

Today I am grateful for Melissa and Siobhan.

Today I am grateful for a nameless janitor at ASU who got us a room when we didn't have one reserved.

Today I am grateful for finding a convenient parking space.

Today I am grateful for all the wonderful blogs on public speaking.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world!

January 25, 2009

Today I am grateful for time to rest and heal.

Today I am grateful for Emi and Tracy.

Today I am grateful for my electric programmable pressure cooker.

Today I am grateful for comfy pjs.

Today I am grateful for finding rice pasta at Frys Food Store. Whoo hooo!

What are you grateful for? Share the gratitude and change the world.

January 24, 2009

Today I am grateful for Dee, Mike, Nancy, Laurie, Evelyn, Connie, Sally, Ed, Rico, and Trish.

Today I am grateful for these beautiful long exposure photos.

Today I am grateful for naps.

Today I am grateful for Open Office.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world.

January 23, 2009

Today I am grateful for learning how to send a text message! I am finally into the 21st century!

Today I am grateful for Mike, Iliana, Leslie, Kenneth, and Amy.

Today I am grateful for gentle spring rain.

Today I am grateful for coconut rice with sweet potatoes.

Today I am grateful for a quiet day at work.

Today I am grateful for Matt, Emi, and Rob.

Today I am grateful for the Light Rail Pirates.

Today I am grateful for tears and laughter.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change your world.

January 22, 2009

Today I am grateful for Top Chef.

Today I am grateful for warm blankets.

Today I am grateful for alarm clocks.

Today I am grateful for green salad with lots of veggies.

Today I am grateful for rain.

Today I am grateful for Lynn, Sally, Emi, Rob, Tracy, and Wayne.

Today I am grateful for Carin and Carissa.

Today I am grateful for frozen peaches.

Today I am grateful for Toastmasters.

What are you grateful for? Share the gratitude and change the world. Post your comment below.

January 21, 2009

Today I am grateful for getting a good night's sleep.

Today I am grateful for a relaxed, productive day at work.

Today I am grateful for a beautiful day so that we could have the windows open at work.

Today I am grateful for Valentine's Day decorations!

Today I am grateful for Jonathon, Mike, Mike, and Leslie.

Today I am grateful for sodoku.

Today I am grateful for El Pollo Loco $1 tacos.

Today I am grateful for Lorrie, Erika and Matthew.

Today I am grateful for the 1812 Overture, which is awesome to play at top volume with the windows open while driving down the freeway on the way home from Toastmasters.

Today I am grateful for the warm weather which allows me the joy of driving with the windows down in the middle of winter.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world!

January 20, 2009

Today I am grateful for a busy, productive day at work.

Today I am grateful for Leslie.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

Today I am grateful to be back on my regular schedule.

Today I am grateful for my weekly massage and the wonderful therapist who works with me, Karen.

Today I am grateful for my La-Z-Boy chair.

Today I am grateful for my car.

Today I am grateful for the mailman.

Today I am grateful for pop music and classical music.

Today I am grateful for rambunctious teenage boys.

Gratitude Angel

Gratitude
Originally uploaded by witchetty

January 19, 2009

Today I am grateful for the Conversations at the Edge blog and today's post on free will.

Today I am grateful for cultural diversity, but even more than that, I am grateful for free speech. Free speech is what propels culturally diverse ideas into the mainstream so that society has the opportunity to benefit. I am grateful for all the brave men and women who face scorn, personal threats, and discrimination to stand up and share their dreams of a better world.

Today I am grateful for Netflix.

Today I am grateful for Emi and Cheryl.

Today I am grateful for my naturopath.

Today I am grateful for paid holidays and naps.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude and change the world.

January 18, 2009

Today I am grateful for the Appreciation Movie.

Today I am grateful for Anita Renfroe's wonderful sense of humor.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

Today I am grateful for naps.

Today I am grateful that tomorrow is a paid holiday.

Today I am grateful for wet doggy kissess.

Today I am grateful for smoothies.

What are you grateful for today? Share the gratitude, change the world.

Today I am grateful for understanding how gratitude works

"Gratitude is the key to happiness, prosperity and peace. Gratitude does not mean that we cannot change a situation if it does not make us happy or is not in harmony with inner selves..."

Read the rest of the article by Phillip Rosen at Intent.com.

Today I am grateful for Byron Katie and The Work

Today I am grateful for laughter

January 17, 2009

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 1
Originally uploaded by aussiegall

Today I am grateful for finding out that there is a group on Flickr devoted to gratitude. How cool is that?!

Today I am grateful for Cheryl, Lynn, Nancy, Trish, Cynthia, Jodie Kaye, Stefan, Marilyn, Maggie, Emi, and Judy.

Today I am grateful for Safeway. I picked up some groceries and when I got home, I didn't have the pork loin I bought for dinner. When I called them to explain what happened and told them that I had a sprained knee and couldn't come back in for it, they delivered it to my house. Awesome customer service, Safeway!

Today I am grateful for blueberries, green tea, mangoes, and almonds.

Today I am grateful for Toastmasters. What a fabulous group of positive, exciting people!

January 16, 2009

Today I am grateful for my job.

Today I am grateful for Sally, Dave, Dan, and Gretchen.

Today I am grateful for jicama.

Today I am grateful for The Gratitude Dance:

January 15, 2009

Today I am grateful for my job.

Today I am grateful for Dave, Cynthia, Mary, Sally, and Bridget.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

Today I am grateful for my walking sticks.

Today I am grateful for my mom.

Today I am grateful for Burt's Bees.

Today I am grateful for Netflix.

Today I am grateful for scented candles.

What are you grateful for today? Please share with the world and post a comment.

January 12, 2009 (late post)

Today I am grateful for Cindy, Stacy, Victor, Mike, Gretchen, Karen, and Dr. Kim.

Today I am grateful for surviving Monday petty cash reconciliation.

Today I am grateful for a tossed green salad with lots of tomato, cucumber, carrots, and purple cabbage.

Today I am grateful for potato chips.

Today I am grateful for several new tricks I learned for Excel.

Today I am grateful for NPR podcasts.

Today I am grateful for Blogger accepting posts via email.

What are you grateful for today?

January 14, 2009

Today I am grateful for ice, crutches, ace wraps, and La-Z-Boy chairs.

Today I am grateful for Emi, Rob, and Bonnie.

Today I am grateful for paid sick leave.

Today I am grateful for the TWAN project website.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

What are you grateful for today? Share in the comments below and take a step toward changing the world.

Today I am grateful for balloons!

I love this little video that I discovered thanks to Neatorama.

PsyBlog: Gratitude Enhanced by Focusing on End of Pleasurable Experience

"One of the greatest challenges to achieving happiness through gratitude is routine, familiarity and habit. We behave as if the things we enjoy now - health, job, family and friends - will continue forever, despite knowing it's impossible. Usually only a change of some kind really captures our attention.Attacking this complacency is at the heart of a new study which can be used to enhance the power of gratitude....

Read the entire article at PsyBlog.

January 13, 2009

Today I am grateful for compassionate people at the urgent care.

Today I am grateful that I did NOT break my leg, just a little bruising around the ego.

Today I am grateful for paid sick leave from work.

Today I am grateful for the wonderful post I wrote for January 12 that is still in the outbox of my computer at work. It will be posted late as soon as I get back there.

Today I am grateful for my new cellphone.

Today I am grateful for leftovers.

What are you grateful for today? Share your gratitude in the comments below and change the world.

January 11, 2009

Today I am grateful for Trader Joe's.

Today I am grateful for garlic.

Today I am grateful for Water, a film about the plight of widows in India. Through this movie we are honored to see the spiritual awakening of two widows and to learn more about the Indian culture.

Today I am grateful for Netflix (see above) because it helps me find movies I would never find otherwise.

Today I am grateful for polenta - yum!

What are you grateful for? Share it in the comments and change the world.

January 10, 2009

Today I am grateful for water.

Today I am grateful for bloggers who post recipes that feature ingredients that I can eat!

Today I am grateful for Evelyn and Lee.

Today I am grateful for Emi, who brought me a pineapple from Hawaii.

Today I am grateful for sweet potato fries at the Rumbi Grill.

Today I am grateful for Gmail.

Today I am grateful for Netflix :)

January 9, 2009

Today I am grateful for a very quiet Casual Friday, sweatshirts that are too big, and comfortable jeans.

Today I am grateful for water.

Today I am grateful for Bob, Bridget, Cynthia, Jasmine, Gretchen, Iliana, and Jessica.

Today I am grateful for bubble wrap.

Today I am grateful for finishing another sodoku. I think I'm getting the hang of it!

Today I am grateful for finally figuring out how to fix a Publisher document that has been driving me crazy for a week.

Today I am grateful for a new episode of Monk.

Today I am grateful for candles.

Today I am grateful for Burt's Bees Carrot Day Creme.

January 8, 2009

Today I am grateful for water.

Today I am grateful for pumpkin seeds.

Today I am grateful for Toastmasters.

Today I am grateful for Cheryl, Rob, Bonnie, and Jessi.

Today I am grateful for Teresa, Christi, and Jeremy.

Today I am grateful for Barbara.

What are you grateful for? Share your gratitude and change the world!

January 7, 2009

Today I am grateful for Lee, Lorie, and Donna.

Today I am grateful for Toastmasters.

Today I am grateful for my boss and his flexibility.

Today I am grateful for almonds.

Today I am grateful for water.

Today I am grateful for my brain.

Today I am grateful for good eyesight.

Today I am grateful for Annette.

What are you grateful for today? Share in the comments below.

January 6, 2009

Today I am grateful for water and for Mike who taught me how to drink a gallon a day without drowning in it.

Today I am grateful for for the detox formula I'm using to help clean out my liver.

Today I am grateful for the boys in the Youth Leadership program I'm conducting.

Today I am grateful for Tom and Luanne.

Today I am grateful for managing to solve a sodoku puzzle. Apparently I'm not as dumb as I look. LOL

Today I am grateful for a good night's sleep last night and for another one tonight.

What are you grateful for today?

January 5, 2009

Today I'm grateful for a new work week and co-workers who are happy and relaxed.

Today I'm grateful for my parents' health.

Today I'm grateful for my laptop.

Today I'm grateful for goofy kids.

Today I'm grateful for my naturopath.

Today I'm grateful for mixed nuts.

Today I'm grateful for a good night's sleep.

January 4, 2009

Today I am grateful for clean water to drink.

Today I am grateful for rain in the desert.

Today I am grateful for my silly dog who always keeps me laughing.

Today I am grateful for Flickr.

Today I am grateful for soft pillows and warm blankets.

Today I am grateful for naps (again!).

What are you grateful for today?

Today I am grateful for inspiring movies

Today I am grateful for bagpipes

Pipe and drum
Originally uploaded by Reluctant Aquarian

These are just a couple of the talented members of a pipe and drum corps that was playing at the First Friday Art Walk in Phoenix on 1/2/09. Awesome music!

January 3, 2009

Today I am grateful for the story of peace and unity in Joyeux Noel.

Today I am grateful for the reminder of the importance of touch from Dr. Mao courtesy of intent.com

Today I am grateful for Burt's Bees Carrot Day Cream, which is eally helping my skin heal itself.

Today I am grateful for Saturday afternoon naps.

Today I am grateful for my silly dog. He has been carrying around this huge rawhide bone he got for Christmas. Today he finally decided to start working on it. He's so proud of himself that he's strutting.

Today I am grateful for my naturopath. Having done the test for IgG food intolerances has really changed my life. In the past, going on the First Friday art walk left me feeling hungover, sore, and miserable for 3-4 days. Since eliminating whey, eggs, wheat, and cane sugar from my diet, I did the art walk last night and today is just a normal day. I feel great. Hooray!

What are you grateful for?

Today I am grateful for Validation

Wonderful video found at the One Consciousness blog courtesy of Travis Wright.

This video made me remember that I am grateful for smiles, compliments, persistent people, and love.

Today I am grateful for the wisdom of Mark Gehrke

"Straight line thinking tends to create more challenge and stress. It’s also a limited success path. Keeping your life and your business on a straight path takes a lot of energy. When something has to change ( and it will ) a bigger change is often required. We really can not follow a straight line in our thinking forever. It’s not the way the earth moves and it’s not the way we’re wired to live. Let go of straight line thinking and you open a periphery of continual insight. Shift from straight line thought and planning to spherical awareness." Mark Gehrke at Mandala Life Media

January 2, 2009

Today I am grateful for being able to take my dog to work today.

Today I am grateful for a productive and quiet day at work today (except for random running and chasing after tennis ball).

Today I am grateful for Rob who invites me to First Friday art walks every month.

Today I am grateful for a beautiful sunshine-y day.

Today I am grateful for low gas prices.

Today I am grateful for leftover curry. Always better the second day - yum!

Today I am grateful for having something that seals envelopes for me so that I don't have to lick them. That's so yucky!

Today I am grateful for the Netflix mailer in my mailbox this afternoon. I always get excited when I see that red mailer!

Today I am grateful for free speech and free will. Even though humans misuse both horribly, I can't imagine life without them.

Today I am grateful for birdsong.

January 1, 2009

Today I am grateful for my sleep mask. I can sleep through my neighbor's insanely bright security lights and I can sleep in on holidays like today.

Today I am grateful for my mom because she taught me how to cook by instinct rather than religious reliance on recipes/cookbooks.

Today I am grateful for Alex Delaware novels by Jonathon Kellerman.

Today I am grateful for Blogger and WordPress offering free blog hosting to the masses. Very cool way to be of service to the world.

Today I am grateful for @LisaBraithwaite for sharing the video in this blog posting.

Today I am grateful for beautiful, sunny weather and for my friend, Scott, who convinced me to leave the frigid midwest over 20 years ago to move to Phoenix. Scott, whereever you are, I wish you were here.