gratitude.

Gratitude was all the buzz this past week given that it was Thanksgiving. For me I realized how much it elated me when I truly focused on what I have and how grateful I am for each and every part of it. I also focused on things that are less ideal and was able to find a silver lining or something to be grateful for with those as well. It's been a powerful week.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday above all others and for me it's always centered around my mom. My entire life she hosted the meal and cooked every single aspect of it. So I grew up by her side curious to learn the recipes and eventually grew up enough to pitch in and help some. Never as much as I wish I did - and I so wish I had her to cook by my side now. Needless to say the last five Thanksgivings have been tough, though each year you grow a bit more used to the fact that it's never going to the same. This year I decided not to travel back to see my family and instead host a friendsgiving here in my house in Austin. And I can't quite put into words how much I enjoyed it - from planning the menu with friends to shopping to cooking and even cleaning. I hosted a couple early for the Eagles game (disaster of a game that was!) and then my other two dinner guests came early to prep the turkey and the rest of the sides then other friends stopped in for a drink before their dinner, and of course I had my cousin - the one family member :) It wound up being four of us for sit down dinner out on my screened in porch and it was perfect. Food was awesome, wine was flowing, games were played, laughs were had, dogs were happy with bones, and I couldn't have asked for anything more in that moment.

It left me realizing and sharing with some friends how incredibly grateful I am that I can feel this happy about a holiday that's always brought me happiness yet at a time was met with such pain and grief. I'm also incredibly grateful that not even one year into Austin I had a house full of friends coming and going - how awesome is that?! I even had several others I invited who couldn't make it. So awesome and validating that I know I chose the right place for me to be living right now. After 5 years in LA I did't have what feels like really solid friendships with truly genuine and kind people. Incredible.

So this past week I've been truly overcome with gratitude and it's carried me on a high that I can't quite describe. Especially because the week prior I was in a pretty low state given some matters of the heart. So as I often give my clients as homework, I'm taking on one of my own exercises for the next 30 days. I started on 11/25 and will go through the end of the year - I'm writing 3 things each day that I'm grateful for. Either from that day's events or just in general. I'm only a few days in and can already feel the power of the exercise in how it keeps you so connected to the now - the present. Not the past as gratitude is more powerful when focused on something you currently have or are experiencing and not in the future as you can't be grateful for something that hasn't happened yet. So as I try to stay out of both places and be more present and grateful for the present - this exercise feels spot on for me right now.

Who wants to join me? 30+ days of gratitude to finish up 2015? Just imagine if you can cultivate this for yourself over this next month what could be in store for 2016....I'm ecstatic to find out!