November 22 - My cats! I know I've alluded to them in the past, but I am so grateful that I have these two special boys in my life. I was always an animal lover, but prior to adopting them, I never considered myself a 'cat person'. That seems absurd to me now because I was missing out my whole life on such a special little species! And truly, being an animal lover means loving all animals, right? I'm so glad I took the plunge and welcomed these guys into my home 9 years ago. Today we had a visit to the vet, and one of my boys has a health ailment. Something that sounds promising with treatment, and so that's what brought up these feelings. I mean, obviously we were meant for each other - they're into protein shakes and running shoes!
November 23 - A clean house. I will be the first to admit, I am no Susie Homemaker. Many people in my life will surely pipe in and verify this. I do not enjoy cooking (at all), cleaning, and housekeeping. I know some people really do enjoy these activities and take pleasure in their ability to keep a beautiful home and prepare delicious meals. I wish I enjoyed these activities more, especially cooking. However, every once in awhile I get inspired to clean my little palace (ie. my 1 bedroom apartment) and the feeling I get after scrubbing this place from top to bottom just can't be beat! I was pretty proud of myself today and thankful that I that I have this place to call home. Also, um, cleaning is a pretty hardcore workout!
November 24 - Church. It's been awhile since I've been to Sunday Mass. And it felt really nice to wake up early this Sunday morning and go. Even if it's been awhile, I always feel this sense of peace and comfort going back (yes, even though they've changed the prayers that were ingrained in my head since Catholic school and I now have to look at that little pew card!). Anyway, there was a phrase that stood out for me today in the priest's homily. It was all about Love and how our purpose here on earth is to share the Love God gave to us with everyone we meet. That's it. Just BE LOVE. This theme of Love is coming up a lot lately in my life, in my readings, writings, and daily experiences. I feel like there's some kind of magic in this message; I like it, and I'm learning a whole lot from it.
November 25 - Apple magic. Seriously. I did a whole post on it so you know this knowledge has had a profound effect on me this week. Have you tried it yet?!
November 26 - Patience. My trip home in the evening usually takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes. tonight it took 2 HOURS. No, I am not exaggerating. There was pretty much a perfect trifecta of circumstances that made my commute trying, to say the least, and somehow I kept it together. It's this new thing I'm trying where I just Let it Go. It sounds weird, new-agey, I know. It's something I've been reading about and it's hard to do. Really hard sometimes, for me. But the fact of the matter is, there are many, many things you will not be able to control in life. And when you/me/people, struggle to try to control these things we just add unnecessary stress into our lives. Obviously, there is nothing you can do about traffic. The only thing you can do is surrender control, and let it go. And once I did that tonight, I felt FREE. Sure, it changed my plans this evening but what could I do. That's life. Things won't always go according to plan. I just let it go and it was amazing the effect this had!
November 27 - Green Smoothies! (I may or may not be posting this in response to a recent post by OlivetoRun in which she admitted she's never had a green smoothie...what?! KIDDING!) In all reality, I LOVE green smoothies. And pretty much all smoothies. I have admitted I am no cook, but I really love experimenting with smoothies and creating my own recipes. I don't measure anything and I don't follow other recipes, I just throw stuff in there that looks good! And most of the time it comes out ok :) This morning's breakfast smoothie consisted of the following: Unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a little water, vanilla pea protein (vegan), 2 handfuls of spinach, pineapple, cherries and wild blueberries. Lots of good stuff. You get fruit, vegetables, antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients and protein. What is not to love about that? Behold the deliciousness:
November 28, 29, 30 - Family, Friends & Food. I love Thanksgiving because it means I get to go home and spend time with many of the people I love the most! It also kicks off the holiday season, which to me is all about Family. I am excited to spend the next few days really doing nothing but enjoying quality time with my people. Well, that and the food! There is nothing better than home cooked food from your extended family. Since my mom's side of the family is Italian, we eat a few different things on Thanksgiving. Perhaps I'll snap some pics and post them on Instagram for you! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving today as well.
How about you?
How was your month of mindfulness and gratitude?
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