GGG – Day 10 – Favorite Treasure

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“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
― Anonymous, Holy Bible: King James Version

Gratitude Gift Giving – Day 10 – What is your favorite treasure? What do you treasure?

First, let me say thank you for being here, following and reading along with me as we think about what we’re thankful for and why. Whether you’re thinking about what you’re thankful for or sharing your ideas here with me and/or with others, we’re changing the conversation. We are being the change we want to see in the world by talking about and thinking about all that is good in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for despite all the circumstances and events that might prove otherwise. Keep up the passion and sharing and thinking good thoughts. Because what we think, we become. Keep being great.

So today’s gift is to think about what you treasure. What are things that you look at or touch and feel that make you happy? And why does your treasure evoke positive feelings?

I have a treasure chest. It’s a real, treasure box that Jeff and I bought in Marin at an antique shop years ago before we had kids. I wanted a treasure box to store mementos from our lives as we started to build our family. I think it may have been an Indonesian wedding chest, that would have been used to store linens or treasures, but I haven’t really done any research on it and instead just use my imagination to make it what I want it to be.

I wanted a treasure chest to store little mementos and love notes from Jeff and the kids . My intention was to keep filling it with memories without looking back until some time in the future. I don’t think I’ve actually gone back and looked yet, although I know little hands have been found digging around in there as evidenced by what is stacked on top as I opened it to take a picture tonight. Someday I will enjoy going back in time and looking back and remembering the love we’ve shared and experienced together over the years. This is my treasure. My family and my treasure box that reminds me of all that is good.

10Nov2013

GGG – Day 9 – Play

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“Life is more fun if you play games.”
― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

Gratitude Gift Giving – Day 9 – Play

How do you play?

Do you play everyday and what do you play?

Do you find joy in addition to your work and responsibilities? I do and hope you do too, every day. It makes life more enjoyable that way!

Today I played tennis with Julie for 90 minutes in the warm sunshine. We rallied back and forth, sharing conversation and tips and just enjoyed playing together. We tried new techniques and shared ideas about how to improve our serves, our shots and our accuracy. We laughed, we played our long, competitive set, and we shook hands when the match was over. We both felt thankful that we had time to ourselves before getting on with our daily work, feeling fulfilled and satisfied. I think play releases stress and is an important part of our days. Thank you Julie for playing with me.

After my tennis game, we went to watch Charlie play his soccer match. I liked seeing him playing with his team and having fun too.

Tonight I was lucky to get to play again. Tracy invited a few girlfriends over to play some games and to just hang out together. I LOVE playing board games and cards but typically don’t take the time to do this, unless I’m on vacation. Isn’t that silly? Thank you Tracy for this great idea. I had a great time and can’t wait to play again.

We played a really fun, creative and artistic game called Dixit. It gave us time to think and strategize and share and chat and guess and hold secrets and then discover the correct answers. There was a sense of friendly competition and it was fun to learn how everyone thinks differently and to discover their choices. If you’re interested in checking it out, the game is available for sale on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Asmodee-5511302-Dixit-International-Version/dp/B001OH9EDW

Make time to play… it keeps you young and happy!

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”
― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

This was the next game we were about to play before it was time for me to leave to do my “job” sharing this story.

8Nov2013

GGG – Day 8 – Your Home

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Our first week of gratitude is complete and we are continuing to work on different ways of feeling thankful in week 2.

“Where thou art, there is home.” – Emily Dickinson

How does your home bring you happiness? What is it that makes you like where you live?

I love our cozy home and its simplicity. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s ours and its gezellig!! That’s a Dutch word that doesn’t exist in the English language. It describes a feeling of comfort and warmth and connectedness.

I love the sound of the heater coming on and the colors painted on the walls. I love that we are close by to each other. I love that the kids like to play in the front yard with friends.

Tonight I enjoyed just being home on a Friday night, doing “nothing.” The kids are taking part in the Rainbow Loom craze and have been busy making “designer” bracelets all evening. I’m thankful that we can just relax and hang out together in our warm, cozy little house. Life is good. What do you like about where you live?

7Nov2013

GGG – Day 7 – Your Favorite Memory

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“Sometimes you will never know the value of something, until it becomes a memory.”- Dr. Seuss

Gratitude Gift Giving – Day 7 – What is your favorite memory? What do you do to create memories and are you even aware that your habits and holidays might become memories? What do you remember fondly from your childhood? Were there repetitive things that you looked forward to like summer vacations or a favorite swimming pool or friend?

I am thankful for my memories and the photos that I’ve taken so maybe I can actually remember my memories!! I have a bad memory, which is sometimes a good thing because then hopefully I’ll forget all the bad things and maybe remember the good things. Writing this blog will also hopefully capture the highlights so I can read about what I did once upon a time! And just like photos, with writing we also capture the positive highlights because who wants to share or keep a bad photo or a negative experience? We usually try to forget those.

All of my favorite memories are related to experiences with friends and family, vacations and sports. Water skiing, Twin Lakes, driving across country and camping along the way, going to Australia with my soccer team when I was 12, swimming with my neighbors and family, going to Zuma Beach, and on and on.

I don’t think I have a favorite memory, although the most memorable are major life events – like getting engaged, getting married, getting pregnant, having babies, buying our first home, and moving to Amsterdam, etc., etc.

Today our family went to the Stanford Football Game and tailgated with friends beforehand. I am hoping these type of events and traditions will become shared family memories that my kids will remember fondly as they grow up.

What are your favorites?

6Nov2013

GGG – Day 6 – Laughter

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Gratitude Gift Giving – What makes you laugh and smile? Aren’t you thankful that life isn’t always so serious?

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy – we’re happy because we laugh.” –William James

Today I am thankful for laughter. It comes in so many different forms and at different times and for different reasons. I love laughing with my kids, with my friends, and family and by myself. I laugh watching other people laugh, even when I don’t even know why they’re laughing. It’s like their laughter sparks something in me that makes me smile just because they’re happy. It’s contagious.

I have a special ability to crack myself up, which then makes my husband laugh, which makes me laugh even more. I think it’s a gift to be able to laugh at yourself too. I try to not take myself too seriously and laugh as often as I can. Sometimes I laugh so hard, my stupid cheeks start to hurt.

Sometimes laughter is a substitute for other feelings, but it feels so much better to laugh and release stress than to yell or cry when you’re frustrated. Do you ever do that, where you just have to laugh to avoid crying? Yeah, me too.

Anyway, I’m thankful for the gift of laughter and the shared joy and connection that comes from it.

What makes you laugh and smile? I hope you laugh every day. It’s good for you!

5Nov2013

GGG – Day 5 – Your Work

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“I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”
Ray Bradbury (born 1920);
Author

Gratitude Gift Giving – Day 5. Think about the work you do everyday. Are you thankful for the opportunity to either work from home, work outside the home, work raising a family, or work at being retired? What do you get from your work that is a reward to you?

It’s kind of a cool way to think about work, isn’t it? Sometimes the word, “work” has a negative connotation, like it’s a bad thing. I think we should celebrate the gifts that we receive from creating valuable work, even though it is work and think about how our work creates meaning in our life.

My main job or work is to support our family, to raise happy, well adjusted, responsible and independent contributing members of our society and community, I take care of the domestic logistics and manage getting the kids to and from their appointments. I am thankful that I get to listen to them and support them with their athletics, academics, social, religious and friendship interests and get to be a part of their daily development and change. In addition, I also keep the house tidy, exercise, plan events, entertain, shop and maintain our home, as well as volunteer and help shape our community.

One other part time job I have is selling jewelry as a Stella & Dot Stylist. I love to wear and share cute jewelry, meet fun women at trunk shows, and talk about other things besides housework and make a little bit of money by sharing my passion with others. I love the women I meet and the stories we share and the support that is given to all of us. I love the knowledge I gather when we have team meetings and share best practices. And I love helping other women to feel stylish and cute. Check out my website if you’re interested in learning more about my work, becoming a hostess or maybe even a stylist like me! www.stelladot.com/adrianahartley

I am thankful for my work and the meaningfulness it gives to my life. I am thankful for the role that I chose and am thankful to my husband for supporting my choice and our choice for our little family.

What do you like about your work?

Today I’m thankful that my work allowed me to attend Christian’s cross country meet in the hills. I loved being there to see him participate and finish, even if he does look a bit tired!

4Nov2013

GGG – Day 4 – Your Favorite Form of Exercise

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Gratitude Gift Giving Day 4 – What is your favorite form of exercise? What makes you feel alive after you’re done and gives you energy even when you’re exhausted from it?

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. – Plato

I love exercise, but I don’t think of it like work. I love to be moving, trying new things, being outside, on the water, in a gym, alone and with friends. It’s hard to pick just which form is my favorite because I have many.

Today I was thankful for the TRX class with Julie again. TRX Suspension Training was developed by the US Navy Seals and includes straps that you “hang from” to do all kinds of resistance training exercises that kick your booty. The class helps to develop strength, balance, flexibility, movement and stability. It works all your core muscles using your own weight as resistance and it’s very challenging. I’m hoping it will help with improving my tennis game and just help me to get stronger in general. I like the feeling of being aware of my muscles, which means they are sore and hopefully improving.

After our TRX class, there was a dance class waiting to come into the gym. Julie was brilliant and suggested we stay for that too. I think she just wanted to get out of doing laundry and chores! But I was game!! She suggested we stay for half of it, but we loved it so much we stayed for the entire class and danced and laughed and just had the best morning ever. The class was called U-Jam Fitness, and it was a mix of music from around the world including Bollywood to Hip-Hop to athletic cardio dance. There was so much energy in the room, mostly from the regulars that must attend all the time because they seemed to know what they were doing. I, on the other hand, felt like I had two left feet, but I did it anyway, trying to watch the instructor and to keep up. It felt so good to dance like a wild one, and to the point where I couldn’t raise my arms anymore or squat any lower! I can’t wait to go again next week for some more “abuse.”

So today I’m thankful for TRX and U-Jam Fitness Dance classes in the gym with Julie. And I’m counting on enjoying some yoga, tennis, and perhaps volleyball and kettle bells the rest of the week. Life is good. Go out and “play!”

3Nov2013

GGG – Day 3 – Nature

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Gratitude Gift Giving (GGG) – Day 3 – How do you enjoy and appreciate nature? Where is your favorite place to be?

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Do you feel a calling to be outdoors? Do you feel peace when you’re near the water, the forest, the hills, open spaces?

Where is your happy place? Where do you go to feel like you’re just a little part of this big, wide, open universe?

My favorite place to go in nature is the ocean. I love the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. I love seeing the sealife and smelling the salt water in the air. I love looking out and not being able to see anything else but water and not knowing where it ends. I love watching the sun setting on the horizon and imagining the daylight being transferred to another location on the earth. I love being on the water, especially on a paddle board, but I’m just as happy on any type of boat.

But today we explored the majesty of the redwood trees in the forest of Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Knowing that some of these trees are older than the Mayan Civilization made me feel so insignificant. Our lives are such a small part of the bigger world, but we feel like we are so important right now! Standing next to these trees that have been around for over 1500 years is amazing. Some of the trees are over 250 feet tall. I loved looking up at them, standing inside a circle of them, and hiking through the forest and admiring all their different varieties.

I liked the shadows, the darkness and the light flowing through them. I liked the old and the new, and even the fallen.

Hiking with our family at this place less than 35 miles from home filled me with joy, even though the process of getting us all out the door today together was quite the challenge! It was worth the work and effort and I think I can say we all enjoyed our family outing.

Today I am thankful for the beautiful parks of California, and for family time exploring some place new. What or where are you thankful for?

2Nov2013

GGG – Day 2 – Food, Glorious Food

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Gratitude Gift Giving (GGG) – Day 2

What food makes you happy? What type of food do you love and crave?

““All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz“

I love food. I don’t discriminate or judge. I just love it all. It’s probably why it’s so hard to lose weight, because I love it so much. I get such pleasure from just looking at food, shopping for it, cooking it, eating it and going out for it and sharing it with family and friends.

I don’t know if I could pick just one favorite. But today, my favorite food was the Dark Chocolate covered Rice Krispy Treats with Sea Salt sprinkled on top with Halloween Sprinkles too. April made these and brought them over to our Halloween party. There were some left over and they made for a great breakfast treat this morning!

Thank you April, for fulfilling my chocolate fantasy!! Oh, they were so good!!