Gratitude off the Grid

It's Thanksgiving morning and for the first day in what seems like forever, I don't have much to do.  This is a beautiful thing.  At first I was honestly nervous to not have a check list. Unraveling my triple type A neuroses is a challenge even on Thanksgiving. But an hour to write a blog post without the panic of having way to much to do is a huge blessing.

The kids are still in their jammies as we sit by the fire in our Madeline Island cabin (It's 10:30 am). The sight off my deck is panoramic deep blue Lake Superior as the leaves have fallen to open up the view.   I don't have much to cook as we are attending dinner at at the home of our island friends. It's been a quiet morning filled with pumpkin pancakes and warm maple syrup and I'm seeped in gratitude for the opportunity of time to be reflective on what an amazing life I lead.  We are literally off the grid here without any access to an open business. It's a beautiful thing.

If you read my blog, thank you.  I am grateful that we have connected via this blog (and that you find my musings of some entertainment).  If you practice yoga with me, thank you.  I am grateful for the connection we share through breath, a movement towards a healthy life, and the general life journey that we mutually strive to understand. And if you are a friend or family member, thank you. Because I am most fortunate because of the people in my life.  It is the moments of my life with you that I am most grateful for today.

I'm off to make a cheese plate for my family.  With figs, fancy crackers, and homemade hummus.  Gratitude.

A few of the humans I am most grateful for.

Gr8ful

Every year at this time we reflect on what we are grateful for and I am just as guilty as the next at practicing mindful gratitude only around the holidays. And yet as I reflected back on some of the writing I did last year at this time, I was surprised at how much my emails and writings were peppered with reflections of gratitude. I had made it through 6 of 8 chemo treatments and was feeling pretty crappy to say the least. And yet, so many people in my life had stepped up and supported me that I couldn't help but feel blessed.

I was asked recently how I stayed so positive during that time and I was grateful even for that question. I knew that there were many moments of anger and frustration but for the most part I did work diligently at practicing gratitude. At the time it would free me from associating myself with the negative aspects of my life. One of my best friends would gently remind me that it was a only a process and that also was very powerful knowledge.

So here I am a year later, high on gratitude. The simple things such as hair on my head, the smell of lavender in my new yoga studio, and regaining strength again to master the next arm balance are some of the little things I am grateful for. I am grateful for the many new friends I have made through my new yoga business ventures (yoga people are truly a special breed) and of course the obvious, the people I love.

Love and gratitude and Happy Thanksgiving