Gratitude Friday

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I am thankful it’s the end of the week. How about you?

I just wanted to thank you for reading and sharing this life journey with me. Thank you for your comments both posted and shared privately. I love knowing that your thinking about your life and living it up, making time for yourself and others and loving it out. Thank you for inspiring me to keep on writing and sharing and connecting, celebrating the good despite the imperfections in our perfectly imperfect world.

I am thankful for Julie celebrating her birthday and sharing her lunch time with me and ML. I loved seeing her being so happy and loved in her new work environment, living it up! It was great to catch up again and celebrate together.

I am thankful it’s raining, even though that meant no tennis practice today. We need the rain and it’s refreshing to have it for a short while. I am thankful that we lived in Holland where it rains more frequently and I now enjoy rainfall and the memories it brings back to me.

I am thankful for my fun husband who took me on a date tonight. We went downtown in the rain and sat in the window seat at our favorite Thai restaurant. We had time alone to chat and catch up after a hectic week and he made me laugh. I still love being with him, like that feeling when I just met him and yet it’s been 20 years! I love that feeling.

I am thankful!! What are you thankful for today?

15Feb2014

Gratitude Jar

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Today I was thankful that I sat next to my 89 year old friend at breakfast this morning. I haven’t seen her in over a year and just hearing her southern accent and seeing her sweet soul shine made me happy. Her eyes sparkle and she talks with you and asks you questions, that show her genuine interest and she is just charming and doesn’t even know it.

I used to see her more regularly, but as she has aged, she feels more comfortable staying home and not going out in the evenings, which is when I would usually see her. I appreciated her honesty and sharing her knowledge, knowing her own limitations and being comfortable with life’s transitions. I have so much to learn from her and wanted to know more about how she spends her days, as I was curious. So I began asking questions and she shared her wisdom, while I listened intently.

She told me how she looked forward to her son’s visits, how she really enjoys cooking, playing cards with her friends at the Senior Center and spending time with her church friends and community. She said she used to have about 22 friends at church, but now there were only 4 left, because most had passed away or moved into assisted living homes. I asked her what this felt like, and she said it was lonely, but that she was thankful to still be alive, and that the good Lord still had work for her to do. I couldn’t agree more! She said that some of her friends were unhappy and questioning why they were still here. She didn’t understand that, and said that she had so much to be thankful for. She then proceeded to tell me a simple story about how she was thankful today.

She said she was in her kitchen and her bottom drawer was stuck and she just couldn’t get it open, even as hard as she tried. She felt frustrated and thought maybe it was time to have someone come in to help her, but it wasn’t what she really wanted. She likes living on her own and taking care of herself, so she looked for another solution. She put a folded towel on the floor and sat down on top of it and then pushed and pulled and pushed and pulled while she wiggled and jiggled the contents until she was able to dislodge the lid that was blocking the drawer. She was so happy and proud of herself that she was able to do it on her own. She said that she decided to write this down and put it in her gratitude jar on the table. I was in awe. I asked her if she reread her blessings after they had been shared and she said yes. She said she could always find things to be grateful for and which made her happy to be alive. I couldn’t agree more and felt so inspired by her. I’m so thankful that she chose to come out this morning and that we had time together to sit and share a meaningful conversation. I love that I have friends that are more than twice my age and I Am thankful for her!! xoxo

Do you have a gratitude jar? If you did, what would you put in it today?

22Jan2014

Ten Little Things

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Sometimes when you’re feeling a little down, you’ve got to look at what’s good instead of feeling sorry for yourself. I’m in one of those transitioning life moments and instead of feeling bad about it, I want to discover ways to keep moving forward and how to quickly get out of my funk, focusing on gratitude.

So I’m going to share what was good today. I’m already smiling just thinking this way.

1. I got to play tennis twice today. I felt like I was at summer camp where you get to play all day.
2. I was thankful to be playing tennis at rush hour and not in a car stuck in traffic.
3. I have a great community of friends that support one another and I’m thankful that Ling gave my kids a ride tonight.
4. My little one wrapped his arms around my neck and told me I was the best mom ever.
5. The sunshine was so warm today and made my skin feel hot. I loved that!
6. I got to FaceTime with my niece and hear her cute little laugh and watch her brush her teeth and feel like I was part of her night time routine.
7. My kids were playing basketball together and I got to watch.
8. In the carpool ride home from school with 5 high school kids, one of the boys sincerely asked me how my day was. There is hope for humanity!
9. I made breakfast for dinner and everyone loved it.
10. I had two hours of quiet time while the kids were at school to catch up on emails and paperwork.

That felt so good! If you’re feeling funky, stop and make a little gratitude list. It’ll make you feel so much better and maybe a small smile will sneak out too.

27Nov2013

GGG – Day 27 – Anticipation

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Do you think this is true?

“…anticipation of happiness can sometimes be as gratifying as its consummation.” – Gaynor Arnold

I think there is a lot to be said about the process of waiting and anticipating what will come.

I was so excited and anxious about our trip to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The anticipation of the joy we will experience together is almost just as exciting as the reality of the shared space. Does that ever happen to you?

I have been excited for the journey to Oma’s and Opa’s house all week. I bought snacks and movies for the kids to surprise them during the car ride and brought gifts for everyone.

The car ride down to Thousand Oaks
was pretty enjoyable. Stopping in San Luis Obispo was a highlight and not rushing made life easier. The kids are older now so traveling with them is a bit easier as they can entertain themselves and can mostly control the audio system in the car.

So today I am thankful for the journey of waiting and anticipating what will come. I love this holiday and it’s great to be back in the states, even though I miss my other life!

Namaste and Happy Thanksgiving!

Road trip near Carpenteria.

One of a Thousand Oaks!

Baking pies together.

Making new friends and learning together.

Life is good!

25Nov2013

GGG – Day 25 – My Husband

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“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” – Audrey Hepburn

Gratitude Gift Giving – Day 25

Today and everyday I am thankful for my husband. I don’t know why it’s hard for me to write and share this, but I think it’s because I want to protect his privacy.

So without being all mushy and cheesy, I’ll just share that I’m thankful that he loves me and supports me unconditionally. He allows me to be who I am and gives me my independence and freedom to discover who I want to become, even when I’m crazy or come up with crazy ideas. He encourages, appreciates, and provides for me and for this and a 1001 other reasons I am thankful. Thank you for loving me and our kids and sharing this wild ride together. I love you!

23Nov2013

GGG – Day 23 – Children

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“The soul is healed by being with children.” – English Proverb

I love kids. All of them. I’m not even kidding. Children make me truly happy. I love seeing them, watching them play, hearing what they have to say and knowing how they think. I especially love it when they are giggling and laughing. I just love being with them and I think it’s because they are so real and have no filters. They laugh and love unconditionally and play and learn quickly. I want to be just like them when I grow up. The children are my role models.

Today I loved tailgating at Stanford with our friends and watching Juliana and S sharing a moment together before the game.

Another great moment today was when S came to sit next to me and put her head on my shoulder when she was tired. We just sat together for a quiet moment to relax. I loved that.

Today I am thankful for children, especially my own who teach me life’s lessons everyday. I’m still learning! I love you.

21Nov2013

GGG – Day 21 – Open Space

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Today I am thankful for gray skies and open spaces.

It’s been raining and the tennis courts are wet and my match today got cancelled. Instead, I went for a hike with Michele and S and A. It was exactly what the doctor ordered!! We hiked for 7 miles and enjoyed the conversation and views and exercise!

Life is good.I love the openness and the wild and coolness in the air.

Wild turkey

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?