Weekly Gratitude

I was inspired by You Say it Best to do this little exercise. Throughout my 24 years here on earth I have learned it's extremely important to tell others around you, and those who are important to you how much you appreciate them, and value the things they do.  A little gratitude goes much father than we think! Plus, I have a feeling it will open my eyes to even more things I take for granted, that I should not, life is too short to let the positives go unrecognized!

-Running...I may loathe it some days when I'm feeling sluggish or grumpy, but after a solid run I always feel refreshed, revitalized, and have a clear head.  I haven't realized it until now, but I use it as my meditation time.  I'm alone with my thoughts, I can focus on me, and decompress.  

-Audio books...most of my friends now that I am a "reader".  I love a great epic novel full of adventure, mystery, magic...etc.  Not until recent, I have always physically read my books.  But, Brent suggested a few books to me that he thought I may enjoy.  One of them being, "Outliers".  He had it on his itunes (since he only listens to books) and had me sync it up the last time I updated my phone.  I found listening to a book was fantastic.  I could listen to and from work (and at lunch), within 5 days I was done!  It was calming and was able to "read" two books at once. 

-Hawaii Five-O...this show makes me so happy.  Not because it's the best produced of all time, or most mysterious, or extremely intriguing...to be honest, it's because it takes me back to Hawaii in an instant.  I first think, WHY did my parents EVER move back to the mainland.  Secondly, I close my eyes and there I am...laying on Kamaole 3 with Brent, our home away from home. 

-my sister...she is amazing.  There are no other words for her.  She just graduated with her second degree...BSN in Nursing.  Not only is she brilliant, she's a fabulous sister.  We have 13 years between us, but I never felt too young, juvenile or out of place around her.  She has always always made me feel special, and now that I'm older we connect on many more levels.  This winter she and I, along with her husband were able to coach a basketball team and it was a blast.  We both played for the same coach, same school etc...but never together.  It was fun and exciting to collaborate our personal strengths and put them into a team.

-personal challenge: In honor of weekly gratitude...call, text, or send a card to a friend/family member and let know how much you appreciate them!  A little of that can go a long way. You never know who needs to feel appreciated or just needs a friendly hug or smile.