Day 88: Closeness + Orange Juice Cheers

Today I learned...
...that closeness breeds more closeness.

Today I am thankful for...
...an omelet and biscuits for breakfast, and an orange juice "toast" with Rick. We clinked cups and he said, "Here's lookin' at you, kid." :-)

Day 66: Listening + Sibling Emails

Today I learned...
...that even when you think people aren't listening, they often are.

Today I am thankful for...
...the opportunity to email my brother and tell him about a variety of cool things.

Day 65: ALS + Positivity

Today I learned...
...that people facing the bleakest of fates can be inspirational, motivated, and positive. I learned about ALS (http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html) from someone who has it...and how it affects people firsthand and secondhand. And in turn, I was affected too.

Today I am thankful for...
...the chance to show someone that injecting a little positivity and gratitude into a regular day's events can change outcomes. :-)

Day 60: Gratitude at Work + Safe Return

Today I learned...
...that one of my friends is seeing changes by incorporating more gratitude into her life. I love it!

Today I am thankful for...
...the safe return of my friend to her home in NYC and all the experiences she had while away in Chicago. :-)

Day 54: Powerful Happenings + Immense (International) Friendship

 

Today I learned...

...that extremely powerful things can happen when so much good energy is together. 

Today I am thankful for...

...the fantastic opportunity to meet the beautiful women in the above photo. Each one of them is so pure in her own way, so creative, and so inspiring. I sense SO MANY good times in our future and I feel so blessed to have been able to enjoy a full day of magic with Jenn and Rachel, followed by a dinner of laughter with them and Lisa, Kendra, and Caroline. I will never forget the day!

Day 39: Thanks in Advance + A Weekend

Today I learned...
...that saying thank you for an outcome in advance really takes away from all the time I used to worry about something. Like, instead of saying, "I hope this won't happen" or "I wish it wasn't going to be this way," I say, "Thank you for the amazing resolution to this problem" or "Thank you for this working out so well!" And here's the trick: I really mean it. And then it's almost like I KNOW it's going to be resolved and wonderful and I'll be thankful, so I don't have to bother worrying needlessly. I didn't come by this trick on  my own, so I'm not taking credit for it, but I have recognized the benefits of it in a big way.

Today I am thankful for...
...not having to get up for work in the morning. Normally I work on Saturdays all day, but we're supposed to get lots of snow, so I'll be home. Even though I'll be shoveling, I will be able to sleep a little longer and get more things done around the house. Knowing that when I go to bed tonight is bliss!

Day 21: Surprises + Followers

Today I learned...
...that unexpected phone calls don't have to be bad. While I was writing a paper for grad school today, my cell phone rang - a blocked number - and I checked my annoyance and welcomed the interruption by changing my thinking. Instead of a) not answering it as I usually do when I don't know the caller or b) anticipating bad news or something that would bother me, I held my phone for a few seconds as it continued to ring and said, "Thank you for the magnificent outcome of this phone call." This is something I learned from The Magic. (By applying gratitude to something before it happens, an unexpected occurrence can be magical.) Then I answered the phone. What transpired was, in a nutshell, an opportunity to be interviewed by Nancy Werteen for Channel 69 News about eating disorder recovery.

Today I am thankful for...
...the opportunity I listed above...but really so much more: for all the positive feedback from my video viewers and blog readers, for all the Thank You emails and messages from men and women, parents, and professionals, for all the support from people who love me, and for all my followers across the globe - it's AMAZING! I love everyone and it's my honor to help when and where I can.

Day 17: Death + a Thank You

Today I learned...
...that death can mean so much more than pain and tears...that it can in fact be the best gift of all. At hospice, I met a dear, sweet, very elderly woman with one specific wish: to dance with her husband again. He has been dead for several years and she is more than ready to be with him. She has no regrets, no unfinished business, and no worries. She loved her life and she embraces its final chapter. Death has escaped her these last few days, though she is very weak and very ill. At her extreme age, it's amazing her body has held up through her terminal illness. She longs to die and this makes me happy, not sad. I mean it when I say that I hope she will be dancing with her husband very soon.

Today I am thankful for...
...the chance to tell a particular person that something she suggested changed my life for the better. By chance, this particular woman (whom I first met in October) popped into my life today and I was able to thank her sincerely as well as marvel at the full circle beauty that has since transpired.