I’ve concluded the second week of practicing gratitude every day this month for National Gratitude Month.

Here’s what I was thankful for:

Day 8: I’m thankful for my dogs. Y’all know how much I love these puppers, and even though we’ve had a rough time training Milo (and we still have a ways to go), they still bring me so much joy. I love how they keep me company in my office while I work during the days and cuddle on the couch in evenings while we’re watching TV. They help make my heart feel full.

Day 9: I’m thankful for the cheesy Christmas movies that are always playing this time of year. They’re always so positive and predictable, but that’s what I love about them; sometimes it’s exactly what my anxious mind needs. I’m grateful that on days like today, when things start to feel like they’re just a little too much, I can get lost in a fictional winter wonderland. Btw, Hallmark has the best ones but without cable I’m making due with those on Amazon and Netflix!

Day 10: I’m thankful for the opportunity to always learn new things, even if it’s stuff I have very little interest in or feel like I’ll never use in “real life.” There’s a world full of knowledge out there and getting to access even a fraction of it over a lifetime is pretty cool.

Day 11: I’m grateful for Nick. I know I probably sound like a broken record but he’s my rock and keeps me grounded. I’ve needed him more than ever lately and he always answers the call. And for that I am so thankful.

Day 12: I’m thankful for my parents! Today was their wedding anniversary so it’s fitting that I mention them today. They’ve always been so supportive of who I am and everything I’ve ever wanted to do. From both of them I’ve learned how to be smart, strong, and resilient. Kind, caring, and generous. How to stand up for myself and others, and most importantly how to stand back on my feet every time I get knocked down.

Day 13: I’m grateful for my support system. My husband, my family, and my friends who are all there for me and make it possible to take chances that make me feel like I can breathe again.

Day 14: I’m thankful for sleepy Saturday mornings when we’re all snuggled up and have nowhere to be and nothing to do so we can just relax. It’s the best feeling.

That’s it for week 2. What are you thankful for?

Read week 1 here.

I talked earlier about how gratitude is so good for every single one of us. I haven’t done a great job this year of staying positive and want to use National Gratitude Month to get into the habit of practicing gratitude on a daily basis. So here are the things I was grateful for this week:

Day 1: I’m grateful for the rain. Sometimes the rain feels right, even though it can be very dreary and it often keeps you stuck indoors. Without the rainy days, however, there would be no plants, no muddy puddles to splash in, and little appreciation for the sun. The next time you find yourself stuck in a downpour simply lift your head to sky, feel the drops landing on your nose, and try to appreciate the nature of life.

Day 2: I’m thankful for nachos for dinner. After a long day of work, laundry, and other errands, I decided to make cheesy chicken nachos for dinner. They were quick, easy, and delicious! They may not have been super healthy but it’s all about balance and letting yourself have a little fun. It’s also really simple: just buy all the ingredients you need from the store (I used  tortilla chips, already-cooked grilled chicken strips chopped into bite-sized pieces, black beans, black olives, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, jarred jalapeños, guacamole, and salsa), layer them up and bake them in the oven for a bit until the cheese is nice and melty. Yum!

Day 3: I’m grateful for Sebastian’s imagination and endless curiosity. I love watching him play and incorporate all of the things he’s learning in a way that makes sense to his three-year-old brain. I love laughing at his silly personality and watching him strike a pose in his favorite jammies and sunglasses or run around wearing clean underwear on his head like a hat. I love answering all of his questions and realizing that things we know “automatically” now are things we once had to learn, too. Childhood truly is magical and I’m so thankful that I get to experience it with him.

Day 4: I’m thankful for my friends. I get to talk to some of my friends almost daily, some I only see once a month, and some I only see once a year but I love them all the same. I’m incredibly lucky to have such amazing people in my life! I’m thankful for all of them, including the ones who are always there to talk, those who always support me, and those who send small gifts when I’m feeling down. They really are the best!

Day 5: I’m grateful for Soccer Shots. Sebastian loves running around on the field, chasing the ball, and I love that he’s learning new skills. Playing sports has a range of physical, emotional, and interpersonal benefits so I’m glad he’s into it from such an early age.

Day 6: I’m thankful for our cul de sac. It’s full of kids for Sebastian to play with and cool enough parents for Nick and I to play with–and right now by ‘play with’ I mean taking turns chasing our kids around and making sure they don’t bite it on the pavement on their scooters. It’s the village I’ve been wanting.

Day 7: I’m grateful for everyone who has worked so hard to end the reign of 45. In the very wise words of my friend Katie, “the election results give me hope, but I do not want to see this lead to complacency. I’m disappointed and confused by how close this election was. And I don’t expect to give Biden and Harris a free pass. They’ve been given a chance and, unlike the last four years, we need to keep our leaders accountable.” I couldn’t have said it better. But at least we’re starting to head in the right direction and the lives of so many people are significantly safer. For that, I am grateful.

That’s it for week 1. What are you thankful for?

November is National Gratitude Month.

I feel like gratitude is one of those buzzwords that people like to throw around when they’re trying to be endlessly positive and you just want to tell them to shut up. But I get how important it is to be thankful for/appreciate all the good stuff in life, especially when it’s so easy to get bogged down in the everyday minutiae. Plans go wrong, mistakes happen, messes are made, and sometimes life just seems unfair, but it’s always a good idea to pause each day and think of even one little thing that has gone right or is just plain good. In fact, experts have found that practicing gratitude not only make you happier, but it can make you healthier, too.

Expressing our gratitude enhances our moods, decreases our stress, and thus improves our overall health and wellbeing. Grateful people tend to have fewer stress-related illnesses, experience less depression, are more physically fit, and have more satisfying relationships. Those are all compelling reasons to focus on the good instead of getting lost in the bad.

Cultivating gratitude is easy; it starts with noticing the goodness in life. I think we can all agree that this year has been a doozey, and I personally haven’t been very good about appreciating the good things I have. And because the benefits of gratitude are accrued over time, I’m going to make it a month-long (and hopefully beyond) endeavor to try to be more positive and practice gratitude. Each week during the month of November I’ll describe all the things I’ve been grateful for.

And, look, I know it sounds easier than it really is. A while back I had a coworker who came to the office one morning with a rubber band around her wrist. When I asked about it, she said she was trying an experiment; she was using the rubber band as a tool to literally snap her out of her negative thoughts. Each time she had a negative thought, she would snap the rubber band. When I told my therapist about it later that week, she helped me reframe this way of thinking. You see, by snapping for the bad thoughts, we become focused on the negative. It’s more likely to make us ruminate on the bad. Instead, my therapist suggested that I do the opposite and add a rubber band or bracelet to my wrist each time I had a good thought and to try to accumulate at least 3-5 bracelets per day. It was pretty brilliant but needless to say, I didn’t stick with it long. It’s hard to see the good sometimes, I get it. But we shouldn’t let that stop us from trying!

I hope you’ll consider joining me in cultivating gratitude this month and beyond. I’d love to hear about some of the things you’re grateful for, but the best part about gratitude is that it works whether you share it with others or keep it to yourself. If you want to share, please do so in the comments. I can’t wait to learn about all of the good stuff that is happening out there. If you’d rather do it on your own, I feel you and support you. But whatever you do, try to find something each day that you can give thanks for.

photo source

In last week’s Giving Thanks post, I talked about how grateful I am for all of the caregivers I have in my ‘village’ who help care for Sebastian. This week I was going to expound that view to talk about the reasons I’m thankful for my community as a whole. But to be completely honest, time got the better of me so I’ve decided to save that topic for another time. Today, I’m taking a break to focus on family and food, for which I am extremely grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying good food and quality time with family.

You’ve no doubt heard the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” I heard it often and believed it, but I never fully appreciated it until I had my own kid. Sure, I was part of others’ villages as I babysat for friends and encouraged my young nephew to say ‘excuse me’ after he burped, but I didn’t realize how helpful your village is when caring for your kid, yourself, and your family. When my son was born, I was lucky to have my mother stay with us for a few weeks to help take care of us. She’s pretty amazing, and the fierce love she has for her family can’t be beat. Then I had to go back to work, which meant I had to rely on someone else to take care of my sweet baby boy. I think this is one of the feelings that is hardest to resolve as a working mother. I often felt like I was abandoning Sebastian, and watching him grow up in photos, and leaving him for someone else to raise. I still haven’t quite reconciled these feelings completely but I’m working on it, especially as I let go and know that I really don’t have to do it alone.

Fun at daycare.

With all of that said, the point of this post is that I’m so thankful for the caregivers in Sebastian’s life. From his father to his grandparents and aunts and uncles, our friends, and his daycare teachers, I’ve learned that it truly does take a village.

So many toys to play with, so little time!

In the beginning we were lucky to have found a great daycare for Sebastian. His teachers were considerate, attentive, and seemed to really care about his well being. When we switched to the new daycare, I expected more of the same and was a little disappointed when the teachers didn’t go “above and beyond.” In the grand scheme of things, however, they’re doing a great job. Sebastian is never hungry, he hasn’t had any injuries, and he always has a smile on his face when I pick him up in the evenings.  Oh, and one morning when I walked in the door to drop him off, the 3- to 4-year-old kids saw us and starting yelling, “Good morning, Sebastian!” It was adorably sweet and made me feel better about leaving him there because I knew he was surrounded by folks who cared about him.

Finger painting at daycare

So, I’m really grateful that there will always be someone there if I need them to take care of Sebastian. And not just take care OF him but really care FOR him. It speaks volumes to the people I have chosen to be in my community. But more on that next week 😉