Thankful and Grateful

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving! I hope this post finds you surrounded by the love, joy, and warmth of your family and friends, and of course with a full belly. Thanksgiving is a day filled with family, food, and giving thanks to all the blessings in your life. When you consciously stop and think about it, there is a lot to be thankful for. Be grateful for all of it - the good, the bad, and everything in between. Give thanks for the obvious - your health, the love of family and friends, a roof over you head, and food on your table - they are things we often take for granted and yet so many people live without. Give thanks for the not so obvious as well. Be grateful for missed opportunities, relationships that crumbled, and failures - they are often, as they always say, blessings in disguise.

Gratitude is a powerful force. When I count my blessings and take a moment to recognize all I have to be thankful for my outlook on life dramatically changes. I could be having the worst day or hitting a rough patch, and all it takes to change my perspective is a little reminder of how lucky I am. Gratitude and perspective go hand in hand. If you are conscious of how grateful you are, your attitude  and outlook will absolutely be changed for the better. Recognize your blessings and let your gratitude change your perspective. 

Use today to reflect upon all the blessings that surround you, but don't let it stop there. I urge you to carry that gratitude with you for the next 365 days, don't let it end tomorrow just because Thanksgiving is over. Let Thanksgiving and this day of gratitude be the catalyst for a year of gratitude. Live each and every day with gratitude in your heart, and I promise it will change your outlook on life.

I most certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year. For new friends and old, adventures, the opportunities that education provides, for truly knowing what it means to love with your entire heart, and a new found appreciation for all that travel teaches us. I am blessed to have my health, my home, and the unwavering love of my family. Last, but certainly not least, I am very thankful for the little piece of the internet that is this blog, the opportunity to do something I love, and for all of you who follow along. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and don't forget for a second how truly blessed you are. 

xo. G