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!”

1Nov2013

Gratitude Gift Giving

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” Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us be thankful.” -The Buddha

If we could take all the things we learn about happiness, love and positivity and package them up and see if some how we can really make a difference to change a little part of our world, would you do it?

Would you take part in an activity that doesn’t cost anything, but has HUGE intangible benefits?

They say that when you express thankfulness, you actually reap benefits too. So it’s a win, win situation and everyone involved feels better, with just a small, non-financial cost involved – just a bit of time, thought, and authenticity. You get to acknowledge what you’re thankful for and in return you create joy and receive more happiness. I love this concept and am planning to practice gratitude all month. Join me.

I’ll provide a daily gratitude prompt and then will share my response, just to show you how easy it is. If you want to participate, you can in many ways. You can just think about the prompt on your own and maybe tell someone. You can add your list of gratitudes in the comments, and/or maybe you’ll want to create your own gratitude journal. Thanks for reading and sharing with me!

November Gratitude Month

Day 1 – Friends
Think about why you are thankful for one or two or three friends today.

I am thankful for my friends that make me laugh and exercise even when I don’t want to! Today I’m thankful that Julie convinced me that it was better to kick my booty at our class than sit on my booty and be lazy! Thank you, Julie. You were right again.

Michele, thank you for introducing me to the art of goat maintenance and barnyard duty today. Who knew this could be fun?

And I’m thankful for all my friends I miss from around my little world, especially when I think of PB and the “backie” she gave me on our way home from Amsterdam, paddling and playing tennis with Barbara, wanderlust in Holland with Cami, and tennis and yoga with Stacey. That’s more than one or two or three…love you all, girlfriends!

Tomorrow’s Gratitude – Your Favorite Food

23Oct2013

Inspired and Content

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Sometimes you need a friend or two to inspire you.

I was inspired by Reid today on the tennis court, when she beat me over and over and continued to share tips on how I could improve my game. She was a great coach, and I can’t wait to play with her again. She was determined and hates losing and was really good. She met her goal, which inspired me to find a new tennis goal myself, like to win (more than once)!! 😉 And to control my shots by not hitting so hard and being more consistent. Great skills that should transfer into real life too. Thanks Coach!

Elizabeth also inspired me today. We made time to get together for some girlie time – you know pedicures and lunch and chit chat. I haven’t had a pedicure since before I left Holland and it was much overdue.

Sitting side by side, with our feet soaking in warm water with rose petals and lavender scented bath salts, we relaxed and caught up on so many topics. With our polish still drying, we decided to continue our date next door for some lunch because neither of us was quite ready to go and we definitely worked up an appetite from all that “work” and still had so much more to talk about.

Sometimes you need someone who can listen really well and that understands you and has a lot to share too. We talked about raising kids, living in neighborhoods, being busy, planning parties, volunteering, family, local restaurants, cooking joys, exercise, and figuring out when we could meet up again. We talked about being real, slowing down, and enjoying the gifts we’ve been given and being thankful for all we have versus longing for something more. After we parted, I kept thinking of all she taught me and felt gratitude for having a great friend who thinks somewhat like me. I felt thankful for the friends I have in my neighborhood and for the relationships that have grown over the years in our little town. I went home and made a sausage tortellini soup for dinner because she mentioned this was one of her family favorites and was something I’ve never made before. Thanks for the great idea. We loved it!

I ran into another friend at the local grocery store today too. Chatting with him and catching up made me thankful that we have lived here long enough that we run into people we know. It feels good to have a home base again where people know my name.

Debbie stopped by today to drop off a magazine. People don’t just drop in anymore and I miss that. She stayed for awhile and we talked about how the Dutch people always make time for a cup of coffee and one cookie. I love that tradition and want to do more of that here. She stayed for 20 minutes and then was on her way again. Next time I’ll offer her coffee or a cup of tea, as I was happy that she came by to visit even briefly. I love spontaneity and the art of conversation.

We live in a great community, and even though we never meant to stay here, I’m glad that we did.

Who or what inspired you today?

18Oct2013

Are You Happy Now?

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I attended the Stanford roundtable discussion about the new science of happiness and well being. Katie Couric was the moderator along with a panel of experts in the fields of psychology, business, neuroscience, and design. I wanted to be up there answering the prompts too! I felt like I had a lot to share and have been living this path for awhile now. Aren’t we all? I wanted to add my two cents and validate the points that were shared, even though I don’t have the credentials (unless you count learning by doing!) My favorite panelist was Jennifer Aaker. I related to almost everything she shared. She is so articulate, beautiful, poised, and intelligent and I just admire the way she communicates and connects her research with reality with a sense of humor. I love her!!

Here is the YouTube webcast of the discussion: happiness roundtable

There were several fascinating points and here are my top 25 favorites.

1. We must always have a goal and an action plan.

2. We have to focus on those things that give our life meaning.

3. We have to be giving and practice kindness.

4. Authenticity is important to our happiness. We have to be true to ourselves.

5. Be present. Live in the current moment.

6. Find harmony in your life between what you think, say and do. Seek balance.

7. Be interested in what you do or change.

8. Life is good. Practice positive thinking and train your brain to focus on the good and your gifts and accomplishments.

9. Good stress is ok.we don’t have to be happy all the time.

10. Have no fear. Fear is the dark side that leads to negativity.

11. Sleep. You must sleep. This should be numbers 1-10 and is critically important. There was an article in the paper about the importance of sleep today too! We need more sleep!!

12. When you’re happy, you’re more creative. Insecurity leads to a lack of creativity. Be happy.

13. Money is important. Once your basic needs are met, focus on spending on experiences and not on stuff. Give. Help others. It makes you happy and makes others happy. It makes you popular too. And if you’re happy you’re more creative.

14. We need genuine social support to feel happy. We need at least two or three sincere social contacts that we can count on. We don’t need 600.

15. Children need to learn to be unhappy and know that it’s ok to not have everything they want. Teach them how to be resilient.

16. The meaning of happiness changes as we age. Adapt. Be aware of the change and redefine yourself. Always.

17. Don’t be so busy. Choose how you want to fill your calendar. Being busy is not a badge of honor. Maintain a sense of control and autonomy over your life.

18. Personal growth is important to lifelong learning and happiness.

19. Appreciate what you have. Be humble. Take help. Give help. Gratitude is important to happiness.

20. Live like you’re dying. Give yourself a life sentence to fully live. Choose how to spend your days as if they were your last.

And if I were able to add my own ideas to the discussion, they would include:

21. Make sure your expectations are in alignment with reality. Don’t expect things and then be disappointed when they don’t go the way you expected. This one is my favorite!

22. Do the work. Do your work. Happiness doesn’t come from being lazy and wishing and wanting. You have to do the work to achieve your goals. You need an action plan.

23. Do the right thing. Choose the harder right. Don’t just do what’s easy.

24. You are important. Love yourself. Your story makes a difference.

25. Let go. Flow with what is. Continue to adapt. Life doesn’t stay static. Be like a river.

Are you happy now? Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you’ve been inspired.

Beauty surrounds us… You just have to see(k) it!

Love,
Adriana

Katie Couric after the show – a bit blurry but up close! :-). She is so cute.

16Jun2013

Day 326: Today is My Birthday!!

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I Am Happy!

I love birthdays! I love mine and yours and celebrating life. I love the songs and presents and decorations. I love the attention and the meaning of birthdays, and bringing people together. I love chocolate cake and ice cream and blowing out candles, as long as I don’t think of spit flying out on the cake when you blow!! I am so thankful every time another milestone comes and have no problem with getting older, except I don’t really like the wrinkles and gray hairs that serve as receipts for the aging process. I’d just as well skip the receipt!!

Today is my birthday and Father’s Day and I was lucky enough to celebrate it in Amsterdam with my family and friends, out on the water. Nothing makes me happier than being on the water, in the sunshine and being with loved ones. Thanks, Kurt and Ali for sharing your boat and day with us. And thank you Blythe for my cool card and delicious birthday cupcakes. You made my day!

I Am truly blessed and am filled with gratitude for the 40+ years of my life! It just keeps getting better! Thanks mom and dad for giving me life. Thank you to all of my friends, family, teachers, mentors and acquaintances who have connected with me and made my life more meaningful.

My birthday wish is to share with you peace, love and happiness. Namaste.

Char and I went for a bike ride with the Bakfiets this morning and found a fun, new little park.

My “twin” boys enjoying each other on the tram ride into the city. I love when they get along.

I love Amsterdam!

Beautiful Amsterdam from the Prinsengracht

My honeys making our birthday/father’s day dinner. Juliana picked the menu and Jeff helped her while I got to lay on the couch. Thanks, guys!! The best part was not thinking of what to eat/cook and hearing Juliana say she understands how much work it takes to get a family meal on the table. Love her. Love this life. Loved the dinner! xoxo Thank you!!

4Mar2013

Day 222: Sunshine, Coffee & Yoga

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Three things made me happy right at the beginning of the day.

First thing this morning, I woke up to find the guest room filled with bright light and the sun was beginning to rise.

Seeing and feeling the sun shine fills me up.

The second thing that made me smile, was a morning ritual. Jeff makes me a cappuccino every morning, so while I’m waking up the kids and starting a load of laundry, I can smell the coffee from upstairs and its ready for me when I come down. I think this is one of the greatest things ever and I am always so thankful that he does this for me. It’s the little things that create huge amounts of joy for me and make me feel loved.

The third thing that started my day off positively after dropping the kids off at school, was my yoga class. I absolutely love yoga and don’t know why I don’t do it everyday. Its especially a great way to start a Monday. When I arrived, I was the only one not speaking (and understanding) Dutch and I felt a little sad to not understand what everyone was saying and sharing with one another. It was only chit chat before class started, but I so desperately wanted to be part of a conversation, yet I couldn’t share anything. I let that feeling go and just focused on relaxing and stretching before class started and had a great practice. Afterwards, during tea with the classmates, a few new friends spoke with me in English and I no longer felt alone. And as I was getting ready to leave, my teacher gave me a hug when saying goodbye, and told me she was glad I came again and that she enjoys having me in her class. She made my day too…another simple and free joy.

I hope your day was filled with peace, love and joy…sunshine, coffee and yoga!

Namaste.

26Jun2012

Day 29: How did you Enjoy Your Family Today?

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I’m not busy.

Ya, right. I’m so busy that my head is spinning. I just ate dinner at 10:30 pm – does that say anything? I haven’t checked voicemail and haven’t really read email and just returned a text or two. But that’s not really important.

I could go through the checklist again, but that’s kinda boring and not the point either. Plus – we are all busy – even the 2 year old and the 84 year old. We’re all busy with whatever we’re doing today otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it. So what?

But what I really want to share and think about is how did you enjoy your family today? Did you slow down and if so, how? What did it look like? What did you do together?

You see – my friend suddenly lost her husband at the age of 48 this week and she has asked us to stop and enjoy our family, in honor of her husband. She doesn’t want us to send flowers, but rather an email telling her what we did together. She wants all of us amazing families to spend some time appreciating one another and slowing down to enjoy the ride. I love that! And she is my new mentor because I always have mentors in my life. And sure she is struggling with the biggest challenge of her life, but she’s reaching out to us and asking us to slow down and share our journey with her. Can you believe that?

So I did.

I am.

Here I am.

I called my sister on the way to pick up the boys from camp. I am going to miss our daily chats. The little one made my day with her cheerful voice.

I stopped for ice cream with the boys on the way home from camp at Dairy Belle – CJ’s favorite place since he was little. I had one too because ice cream is good for you.

And at 5 pm tonight, while I was finally washing the dishes from dinner last night, J called from April’s to see if S & J could come over to play. Since I didn’t have to leave for 45 minutes, I said sure, of course, come on over. Once they got here and the kitchen was almost done, they asked if they could make snow cones. (REALLY??) And I said sure, of course. We can make snow cones and clean up in 30 minutes, right? So I was a few minutes late – so what? Check out their faces and smiles!

On my way home from my meeting, I made a call to a friend who shared AMAZING and heartfelt news. I’m so glad I called even though I’m “busy”.

I also called my mama to thank her for the spaghetti sauce that we shared last night and that I was glad she was with me in spirit. And when I finished putting the kids to bed and sorting more baskets, I finally ate dinner: Left overs from my mama – the best comfort food on the planet!! Thanks, Mama.

And thank you for the challenge to enjoy what we have and what we’re doing right now. I’m thinking of you (my mentor) and wishing you peace and grace.

24May2012

Day 62 – Are you Awesome?

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I ate my lunch in front of my computer and enjoyed a little TED talk today. I love learning and exploring and getting lost in connections from one site to the next. I don’t remember how I got to this talk today by Neil Pasricha, but if you have 17 minutes – I think you’ll enjoy his story. We can all relate to it. Basically he shares the 3 A’s of Awesome – Attitude, Awareness and Authenticity. Our lives are not easy. They’re complicated. There are lumps and bumps along the way and we’re not always going to feel happiness. BUT – we always have a choice to move forward and to follow our hearts to find fulfillment along a different path if the one we’re on is not the one of fulfillment. Listen to his story – I think you’ll love it as much as I did.

Today we celebrated two AWESOME teachers at Ponderosa school who are getting married. Current and former students were invited to the bridal shower. Can you see the love? The parents and teachers who organized the party are AWESOME too!

I started to write my blog to share my/our story about the path my family is on to take us over seas and to share the journey because several people were asking about it and wanting to know what it’s like and to live vicariously through me. I thought it’d be fun to learn more about blogging and to capture our story too. I’ve found that I’m really enjoying taking the 10-15 minutes a day to slow down and reflect on the day and to share something positive – to express gratitude for the little things in my life that I love and to connect with friends and loved ones, and meeting new friends who share similar interests. Thank you for reading my blog and sharing the journey. Life is much sweeter with you in it! xo