Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying a day off and if you’re working today, thank you for your hard work!
Today I’m thankful for the following:
- I’m thankful for a day off. So far, I’ve enjoyed Labor Day by making breakfast, going for a 5 mile run with my husband, and doing laundry. This evening we’re going to cook-out with my in-laws for dinner.
- I’m thankful for a good friend and his expertise regarding HVACs. Our friend Robert has helped us diagnose broken coils/leaks in two of our air conditioning units and he is hopefully going to help us fix them which will save us alot of money. I’m very thankful for the time and effort he has put in to help us.
- I’m grateful for my health. I recently quit taking a medication I’ve been on for nearly a decade and it looks like a side effect of that combined with exercise and a healthy diet is finally helping me to lose weight. I’m at my lowest weight since 2007 and feel great!
- I’m thankful for a short week at work. One of the great things about a 3 day weekend is a 4 day week!
- I’m thankful for the labor of everyone throughout history who we should remember today on Labor Day.
Have a great week!
Good morning and welcome to this week’s Thankful Monday blog post!
Here’s what I’m thankful for today:
- I’m thankful for the opportunity to attend the wedding of Scott and Shelly this past weekend and share in their special day as well as getting to hang out with so many awesome people who I don’t get to see often enough. Scott and Shelly threw a beautiful and amazing wedding and the weather was perfect for the outdoor ceremony and reception. I’m so happy for them and am thankful they allowed me to celebrate with them on Saturday.
- I’m so grateful for a husband that knows what is important to me and accompanies me to events even when I know he’d rather be doing something else. Ben attended the third wedding of the summer with me (1 in June, 1 in July, and 1 in August) and they were all for my friends or family members. He’s a pretty strong introvert so I know going to these big social gatherings takes alot out of him. I’m just so thankful that he realizes how important it is for me to attend and how thankful I am for him to be there with me.
- I recently stopped taking a medication that I’ve been taking for over ten years and I am so happy and grateful to report that I feel a thousand times better both mentally and physically! I was especially worried that the side effects and coming off a medication I’d been on for so long would be adverse so I am very thankful that the side effects have been virtually non-existent. I feel so good that I wish I had stopped taking it years ago!
- I’m thankful for wonderful friends! After the past week and weekend of spending time with awesome people, I look around and realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by these amazing friends. I’m so happy to have them all in my life!
- I’m thankful for a successful surgery for my dad. He had back surgery recently to remove a very painful cyst he had on his back for a long time. He seems to be recovering quickly and successfully and I’m so grateful for that!
Have a great week!
Good morning and welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday blog post!
Here’s what I’m thankful for today:
- I’m thankful for the opportunity to see The Book of Mormon musical with my friends Cris and Carolyn at the Kennedy Center on Friday. Thanks to all of us working together, the plans for the night turned out great! I’m cherishing these little trips right now as once I have kids they will be fewer and far between. The play was hilarious and the Kennedy Center was a beautiful venue! What a great night!
- I’m thankful for the generosity from my sister-in-law’s dad. He was cleaning out a storage unit this weekend and gave us several items that homeowners would need including a shop-vac and a miter saw! I’m so grateful for his generosity and the future spending he has saved us!
- I’m thankful for family. Sunday, we had lunch with my in-laws to celebrate my nephew’s 20th birthday. It was nice to spend time with the whole family and enjoy my mother-in-law’s awesome lunch, including her famous coconut raspberry cake! She and I also made bacon wrapped figs using the figs from our fig tree.
- I’m thankful for the cooler weather we’ve been having. Our air conditioner has been broken so the cooler weather in August has been a blessing!
- I’m thankful for a fresh start this Monday!
Have a great week!
I found this article on lifehack.org and wanted to save it here for my own future reference and others’ enjoyment as well:
1. Move Your Body
Exercise is one of the fastest ways to joy. When you move your body you change your state. You go from down and lethargic to feeling more energetic, masterful, and fulfilled. The reason is both physiological and psychological. Not only does exercise burn off cortisol (the stress hormone), and studies have shown that exercise can release endorphins (feel-good chemicals, the commonly referred to “runners’ high”), but when you exercise you also feel a sense of accomplishment, known as self efficacy. There’s a psycho-social hypotheses called the mastery hypothesis that tells us that our mood improves when engaging in difficult and significant work. Thus, on both a psychological and physiological level, exercise will lift your mood, and as a bonus side effect you’ll be healthier too!
2. Fake it!
Seriously, the next time you’re down, put down the self-help book and simply smile. Make ridiculous faces, and even say the words “Ha Ha”. Did you know there is a form of yoga called laughter yoga, that uplifts the spirit? The class is centered around saying things like “Ha Ha, Ho Ho, Hee Hee”, and before you know it the whole room is howling. You can take this strategy and employ it in your own living room. Try it right now, and see how your state changes. Happiness is often thought of as an emotion, yet our physiological state is inextricably linked with our emotional state. The moment we change what our physical body is doing, our emotions follow. There’s been plenty of research to back up these claims, but better than science is your own scientific experiment! Try it now, and see how you feel. Put on a smile that includes your eyes smiling, and see if it influences your feelings.
3. Go Play
Life can be serious. From horrific television news stories, to deadlines, family responsibilities, and more, it’s so vital to remember to play. Kids do it all the time, and often with big smiles on their faces. So whether your form of play is taking a hike, reading a magazine, playing a sport, or literally heading over to some swings in a park and playing like a kid, play is on of the fastest ways to get in touch with our inner happy. Taking the time to go have fun, and bring some joy in your life should be part of your weekly regime. Even little doses of fun make all the difference. If it’s been awhile since you went out to play and have some fun, set up a play date now. Think of an activity you have been longing to partake in, and pencil it into your calendar.
4. Watch Something Funny
Alright, so I am all for practicing presence and meditation, but sometimes, if you’re feeling totally bummed out, meditation may not be the trick you seek. Did you know that consciously choosing to distract yourself can be a healthy coping mechanism? Now, if you are constantly living in busyness and distraction, this is not a healthy way to cope. But, consciously choosing to engage in something to get your mind off something troubling can be a healthy way to shift your attention. You can easily find thousands of hilarious comedic routines on YouTube, or the Comedy Network. Sometimes taking a time out, such as watching something that gives you a good laugh, is a healthy way to let go of the sadness and stress. And often it gives us perspective so that we can deal with what ails us in a clearer way.
5. Forget Your Schedule… For an Hour!
If you’re feeling stressed and caged in by your heavy duty never ending to-do list, it’s time to engage in what I call the “Forget Your Schedule” practice.
The truth is, if you don’t get everything done on your list, life will go on. Things won’t fall apart. It will be OK. Besides, feeling stressed and overwhelmed can seriously slow us down. By taking an hour to forget your chores and to-do-list, you often gain perspective that half of those things you thought you had to do are either unnecessary or you find a better way to get them done (which sometimes includes delegating tasks to others). By taking some time to let yourself be free, you get to finally live in the moment. When you are living in the moment, away from the giant to-do list and never ending stress (which leads to unhappiness), you tap into freedom which leads to space, possibility and happiness.
Good morning and welcome to this week’s Thankful Monday post! Here’s what I’m thankful for today:
- I’m thankful to live in a city where you are almost always guaranteed to run into people you know. Some may not consider this a good thing, but I love it! Friday, while hanging out with my friend Kristen, I ran into Kevin, Dolly, Tracy, Wendy, Stephanie, Carolyn, and many other awesome folks! It felt good to see so many friends!
- I’m thankful for great in-laws who spent their entire Sunday helping to fix up our condo so that we can hopefully get it rented soon.
- I’m thankful for a nice dinner last Monday at Guadalajara with good friends and their kids. It’s always great to see my old friends from Albemarle County and their kiddos are growing so fast!
- I’m thankful for a restful weekend. After being out of town for the last three weekends, I was so grateful to have a travel-free weekend. I did do alot of work around our house, yard, and condo, but it was still nice not to have to spend a significant part of the weekend traveling.
- Lastly, I’m thankful for hope. I won’t say what it is, but I’ve recently taken some steps to help myself and this action gives me hope for the future.
Have a great week!
Good morning! I apologize that I haven’t written a Thankful Monday post in TWO WEEKS! But, I’ve been a very busy girl. I spent 10 days in Seattle and Victoria, Canada celebrating my cousin’s wedding, site-seeing, and spending time with family, came home for 5 days, and then left for a 4 day weekend at the beach in Nags Head. I’m feeling refreshed but I’m super sad my fun trips and time with family and friends are over. I think being grateful will help cheer me up, so here’s what I’m thankful for today:
- I’m thankful for an amazing trip to Seattle and much cherished time with my family. I LOVE my family and just saying that makes me feel that it doesn’t give my feelings about them justice. I’m such a lucky person to have these people in my life!
- I’m thankful for a wonderful trip to Nags Head in the Outer Banks with Sarah and Cris. We had the best time celebrating girls weekend and I’m extra grateful to Cris and her parents for letting us use their condo at the beach!
- I’m thankful for my husband who has spent so much time traveling with me and then putting up with me being gone on trips without him. He is very supportive of me and my love for family and traveling and has even been a wonderful shoulder to cry on when I’m sad that my trips are over.
- I’m thankful for my family. I can’t say how much they mean to me and spending time with them only makes me realize how lucky I am to have them. I wish I lived closer to all of them.
- I’m thankful for a very smart and skilled friend who helped us diagnose a problem with our air conditioning so we didn’t have to pay to have someone look at it (I’ll of course buy him dinner as a thank you). Between the new house, fixing up the condo, my car payment, and Ben’s car being in the shop for the past month, we need to save as much as possible!
Hope you have a wonderful week!
Good morning and welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday post!
On a side note, I know I have been only using this space for my Thankful Monday posts for the past few months. I enjoy writing about other topics, but time constraints are what have mostly kept me from blogging about my usual stories and ideas. If there is anyone out there that actually reads this, I can tell you that I do plan to get back into regular writing again once things settle down with our new house, traveling, and fixing up our condo. In the meantime, I feel these posts about gratefulness have been a benefit to me so I have continued to make time for them in my busy schedule.
And now, here’s what I’m thankful for this week:
- I’m thankful for a husband who has similar interests to me and for date night. I can remember always arguing with my ex about what movie to see, but luckily, my husband and I don’t have that problem. Friday night, we tried the new Sedona Taphouse for dinner. The food was good, but a little overpriced. The real reason I wanted to go there was for their beer selection…they have over 500 beers available and update their draft list daily which often includes many local beers. Then we went to see Pacific Rim which we both loved. It was a great night and made me suggest that we try to have date night more often!
- I’m thankful for family. I must be very lucky because I have a wonderful and supportive family who really enjoy spending time with each other. I’m going to get to be around alot of my extended family very soon and we are all very excited about it!
- I’m thankful for my cats. They always bring a smile to my face. They are so cute and each have their own individual personality. Yesterday, Ben and I let them go outside briefly to explore. It’s so fun watching them absorb all of the new sights, sounds, and smells around them.
- I’m thankful that our good friends had a healthy baby boy on Wednesday. I’m so grateful that both mom and baby are doing well and that our friends are finally starting this new phase in their family. Ben and I were lucky enough to get to hold the little guy on Thursday when we visited them at the hospital. I’m wishing them all the health, love, and happiness in the world for their futures!
- I’m thankful for life. Everyday there are struggles and things can feel rough, but I just have to remind myself that I am alive and live a pretty good life surrounded by amazing people.
Have a wonderful week!
Good morning! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Mine was amazing!
This Monday morning, I’m thankful for the following:
- I’m thankful for this amazing country that I live in and the sense of pride and hope that is felt on the 4th of July! I know we all take our freedoms for granted, so I want to remember to be grateful for the freedoms we have living in the United States and for the many men and women who have, will, and continue to fight for our freedoms.
- I’m thankful for amazing and fun friends! I had a wonderful girl’s weekend in DC and Baltimore with two of my best friends, Cris and Sarah. We watched fireworks, did site-seeing, enjoyed delicious food and good beer, met up with lots of other awesome friends, enjoyed live music including a live band, dueling pianos, and an Irish folk group, and we hung out on the boat of a former congressman! I know there are always adventures to be had when I’m with these amazing ladies!
- I’m thankful for my mother-in-law who spend much of her weekend helping my husband catch up on weeding and gardening. When I returned from my trip, things looked quite different and much better than they had when I left. They weeded, trimmed hedges, and planted things in the sweltering heat and the pouring rain!
- I’m thankful for a job. I’m REALLY not liking my job these days and so tempted to apply for new positions elsewhere, but I want to remember to be grateful for a job that pays decently and has benefits. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to take trips like I took this weekend or live in a house like I live in.
- I’m thankful for my mom, the nurse , and technology. She was able to diagnose a case of poison ivy (my first) via a text message picture and tell me how to start treating it.
Have a wonderful week friends!
Good morning and welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday blog post.
Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:
- I’m so happy and thankful that I got to see my good friends Cheryl and Dan and finally meet their new baby, Lillian! They moved to Tennessee last summer before Lillian was born and I’ve missed them so much. Lillian is the sweetest, most adorable little baby and being around her made me want to have one of my own.
- I’m thankful for my amazing and patient husband who spent 1100 miles and 18 hours in the car with me this weekend so we could make the trip to Nashville to see Cheryl, Dan, and Lillian. What a man!
- I’m thankful that no matter how much my current job gets to me, I always have the option to look elsewhere. It’s nice to live in a free country where I can change jobs, careers, and employers if I want to.
- I’m grateful for the feeling of hope. It’s what gets people through tough days and I was having a few tough days last week.
- I’m grateful for new friends and old friends…I’m so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people.
Have a great week and love to you all!
Welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday post.
Things are a little stressful at work today but I’m going to try to remember to be mindful and grateful for a good life so here’s my top 5 for today:
- I’m thankful for 7 years together and 1 year of marriage with my wonderful husband. He is a good man and strives to make me happy. He also makes me strive to be a better person and treats me right. We celebrated our 7 years anniversary and 1 year of marriage on Saturday and Sunday respectively and the occasion makes me so grateful for our time together and hopeful for our future together.
- I’m thankful for lovely weather this weekend. We were able to spend alot of time outside and get alot done on our house and condo. I love getting my Vitamin D!
- I’m thankful for reunions. My friend Cris was in town this weekend and I hadn’t seen her since February so it was wonderful to spend time with her and my other friends after a long week of work.
- I’m thankful for another opportunity to run the Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler . Every year, the race gets harder and harder to get into. This year, race registration was full in 5 hours so I’m thankful that my alarm clock woke me up so I could register at 5 AM and I’m glad I got in. This will be my 6th year in a row to run the race!
- I’m thankful for technology. I was able to share pictures of our new house with friends and family all over the country by simply taking pictures with my phone and posting them to Facebook. We live in a wonderful age where you can still be so close to the ones you love even when they are far away.
Have a wonderful week!
P.S. I already feel better after writing this post! 😉
- Thankful Monday November 11, 2024
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- Thankful Thursday May 23, 2024
