“Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle.”
As the last few hours of 2012 draw to a close, I am reflecting on the past 12 months. I have experienced a range of emotions this year and have recently gotten myself stuck in resentment, frustration, and grief. Try as I might, peace and gratitude have become as difficult to hold onto as water...just keeps running through my fingers.
I receive a daily blog post from a spiritual source and today's post described a New Year's tradition that I am inspired to adopt this year. It's a gratitude list of sorts...108 things for which I am grateful. In Hindu & Vedic traditions, 108 is considered a divine or sacred number. There are several interpretations of why this is so, but it resonates with me because I have always been drawn to the number 9. (1+0+8=9) No particular reason...it's been my "lucky number" as far back as I can remember.
So it's no coincidence that today's post would "speak" to me....
As I have shared in previous posts this month, something is shifting in me...I am in a state of flux, transition, change. I'm in that murky in between part...the "icky" part.
I need a shot of gratitude... STAT!
So I thought I would use this venue to share this list...feels like an appropriate way to usher out the old year and welcome in the new.
Here we go...in no particular order....
1. my sobriety
2. spiritual life
3. love & support from family & friends
4. Daisy
5. financial security
6. having a job
7. yoga practice
8. meditation practice
9. bubble baths
10. gelato
11. my bed
12. cashmere
13. Italy
14. Abraham-Hicks
15. Marianne Williamson lectures
16. Gabrielle Bernstein's new book
17. Amma
18. Nag Champa incense
19. Yerba mate
20. Renaissance art
21. hope
22. seeings stars in a clear night sky
23. wind
24. smell of bonfire
25. hiking at Starved Rock
26. blueberries
27. green smoothies
28. juice cleanses
29. wind chimes
30. the ocean
31. fresh snow
32. butterflies
33. being in nature (not camping)
34. dipping my toes in cool water on a hot day
35. outdoor concerts at Pritzker with my friends on a summer evening
36. drive-ins
37. Bradley Cooper!
38. soft kisses
39. back rubs
40. baby giggles
41. the way a baby's head smells
42. Daisy purring
43. movie dates on the couch with Daisy
44. fireworks
45. bubbles
46. tattoos
47. sitting in empty churches (just me & the Big Guy)
48. wandering around a museum
49. Christmas carols
50. jumping in puddles
51. pedicures
52. lilacs
52. shopping at farmer's markets in the summer
53. fresh tomatoes
54. caprese salad
55. summer peaches
56. strawberry shortcake
57. lazy Sunday mornings
58. travel
59. discovering new neighborhoods
60. cooking for friends
61. baking
62. making a vision board
63. Italian movies
64. folding laundry (another form of meditation!)
65. Pike's Market in Seattle
66. watching Daisy sleep
67. fireflies
68. waterfalls
69. the Amalfi Coast
70. Hotel Arts in Barcelona
71. annual girls holiday brunch at Susan's
72. quitting cigarettes
73. antique shopping
74. 40s vintage dresses
75. Hitchcock movies
76. romance
77. chivalry
78. love
79. respect
80. honesty
81. ability to keep my heart open after it's been broken...again
82. belief that good guys do exist
83. knowing that "this too shall pass"
84. spending NYE at Moksha, doing yoga with friends
85. starting 2013 doing the same at Village Yoga
86. warm towels
87. Ellen's lavender sable cookies
88. memories of baking with my Grandma
89. memories of listening to my Grandpa tell stories
90. memories of my mom stroking my hair
91. white clam pizza
92. Colony stinger pie
93. Carvel ice cream
94. cashmere socks
95. warm sandy beaches
96. Daisy snuggles in the morning
97. watching "The Holiday" on Christmas day
98. U2's "Joshua Tree" album
99. Maxwell's "Urban Hang Suite" album
100. "Amelie"--movie & soundtrack
101. holding hands
102. falling in love
103. hugs
104. crunching leaves in the fall
105. second chances
106. grace
107. miracles
108. love
So that's how I want end 2012 and start 2013....focusing on what I'm grateful for and what makes me feel good inside. I want to bring more joy into the new year for myself and those around me.
Peace & love, friends.
WIshing you every happiness in 2013!!
xox
58. travel
59. discovering new neighborhoods
60. cooking for friends
61. baking
62. making a vision board
63. Italian movies
64. folding laundry (another form of meditation!)
65. Pike's Market in Seattle
66. watching Daisy sleep
67. fireflies
68. waterfalls
69. the Amalfi Coast
70. Hotel Arts in Barcelona
71. annual girls holiday brunch at Susan's
72. quitting cigarettes
73. antique shopping
74. 40s vintage dresses
75. Hitchcock movies
76. romance
77. chivalry
78. love
79. respect
80. honesty
81. ability to keep my heart open after it's been broken...again
82. belief that good guys do exist
83. knowing that "this too shall pass"
84. spending NYE at Moksha, doing yoga with friends
85. starting 2013 doing the same at Village Yoga
86. warm towels
87. Ellen's lavender sable cookies
88. memories of baking with my Grandma
89. memories of listening to my Grandpa tell stories
90. memories of my mom stroking my hair
91. white clam pizza
92. Colony stinger pie
93. Carvel ice cream
94. cashmere socks
95. warm sandy beaches
96. Daisy snuggles in the morning
97. watching "The Holiday" on Christmas day
98. U2's "Joshua Tree" album
99. Maxwell's "Urban Hang Suite" album
100. "Amelie"--movie & soundtrack
101. holding hands
102. falling in love
103. hugs
104. crunching leaves in the fall
105. second chances
106. grace
107. miracles
108. love
So that's how I want end 2012 and start 2013....focusing on what I'm grateful for and what makes me feel good inside. I want to bring more joy into the new year for myself and those around me.
Peace & love, friends.
WIshing you every happiness in 2013!!
xox
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