Monday, March 30, 2009

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.

Friday, March 13, 2009

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

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

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.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

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.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

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.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

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.

Monday, March 2, 2009

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.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

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.