Day 12 - Today I am Grateful For.....

My favorite line from one of my favorite movies, Pretty Woman (remember I am a chick), is when Richard Gere says to Julia Roberts "it's just that uh people rarely surprise me." And she replies, "Yeah, well you're lucky. Most of 'em shock the hell out of me." (Thanks Laurie for reminding me it's the scene about flossing!)

For years I lived as a bit of a cynic, which is defined as someone who believes all people are motivated by selfishness, or a person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative. And in truth - it's not how I felt on the inside - but somehow in that time in my life it was 'en vogue'. The next phase was pragmatist which is a practical, matter of fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems. Which as I worked through that phase was still relatively colored with cynicism - but I felt like I was on a better path.

So where am I now? I have found my tribe. I know that pragmatism if executed correctly is actually practical optimism - and if I reflect on the Pretty Woman line where it is obvious she is setting the expectation that people will never live up to her expectation. I am reminded of something my good friend and coach Bill Pavelich said, "People will be exactly as you expect them to be."

What if we could condition ourselves to live every day exactly as we expected it to be, instead of dreading the pieces we didn't desire. How would our lives be different?

So, today I am grateful for.....

• Homemade lasagna by my friend Darlin Gray....if I wasn't married.....I'd marry you just for the food...I really am a simple creature.
• Lazy fall Saturdays.....boy I do love college football.
• Family....because at the end of the day.....it's the most important thing we have .... remember family can include the one you've made for yourself.
• The gentle wisdom of my mom who reminded me that not everyone has a filter on their 'care-o-meter" - my interpretation is that sometimes care can appear as turrets syndrome.....inappropriate exclamations of worry that come out as condemnation. Thank you mom for making sure I have a filter.
• People who deal with great loss and stand proudly in the space that is who they were and are in the same breath.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 11 - Today I am Grateful For.....

How do you mark time? Is it behind or ahead of you? Is it something you go through? Or move toward?


I am very intentional in the words I use in most of my daily life. I make a conscious decision to fill my mind and the space around me with the specific intent for the desired outcome. It is certainly not easy and sometimes like a tape recorder .... you remember what that is right? I have to rewind and put the words in place that work better and are true to the inention I am setting.


So as I have been chronicling that past 11 days of Gratitude I have been puzzling over time and how I feel about it. I've tried to examine it from several angles in different situations - does someone in prison mark the time they've served or the time until they will be released or eligible for parole? Do expectant parents mark time by how far along they are in the pregnancy or by the due date?


Am I looking at this as 89 more days until I reach my 100th day? Or am I looking at this as I have successfully completed this exercise for 11 consecutive days? And how does each of those perceptions of time leave me feeling? One of them has me expectantly waiting to post the next day; the other leaves me feeling like I am serving a sentence.


How do you view time?


Today I am grateful for:

• My fun friends at book club and the laughter and joy they bring into my life and my home - oh and the food, the wine and the beer aren't bad either!
• The quiet waking of the day - the gentle trill of the birds outside my window, the brightening light in the sky as the morning begins.
• The happy lab greeting of Harley every morning with his downward dog stretch towards me (I like to think he believes I am royalty and is bowing his greeting)....sure :)
• The appreciation I am developing for the difference between meditation and silence - when I meditate it feels like I am on a journey in my mind - there are times when I just want to sit and let me and my mind just be in silence.
• The unexpected generosity of friends - today you took our breath away.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 10 - Today I am Grateful For.....

So I am one tenth of the way there - nothing to report yet in the being department of gratitude so stay tuned.

Today I am grateful for:

• Essential oils that uplift me


• A nice selection of wine in the 'cellar' aka the scary room


• A network that supports me


• Renee Iverson Skin Therapy and her fabulous selection of skin care products that are bringing relief to Pat


• Braised Brisket in Porter

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 9 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.

I came across this quote in my travels and it has had me thinking about how we don't always ask for the growth, want the change or feel prepared to step from what is very familiar to completely foreign - and while frightening - it can begin to feel as you continue down a new path that while initially you feel unprepared, in many ways you always have been preparing. That every experience up until a particular defining moment - has been preparing you. And while many adventures in life leave us feeling like it is 'all out of our control' - the reality is there are many components that we can control - and the big one is how we choose to be in the moment.

It isn't about reacting it is about being.

So today I am grateful for.........

• Conscious choices
• People who show who they really are
• A friend who calls because I'm on their mind
• Friends who solution solve not problem solve
• The ability to accept that some things are meant to kick my butt - and that's just what is meant to be.

....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 8 - Today I am Grateful For.....

Is it just me or does anyone else find the irony of the universe interesting? I mean, how many of us have had those moments when we put our fork in the sand and claim something for our own...and then WHAM up alongside the head we feel this great big energetic hand, catch our attention and say, "really...you'd like to see if it gets...(bigger, more challenging, etc)

So you might have guessed today was the day of which I speak above - I'll be real candid and say it will be a bit before I am ready to fully discuss the implications and magnitude of today - I just want to check in though and ask a question. When the big hand of the Universe whaps you upside the head....how will you react? Will it be with patterns and behaviors that don't serve you or those you love well? Or will it be a chance to flex the muscle of intellect and gratitude in the face of adversity? I'm gonna go with the latter and add a little bit of chicken :) for tonight's post - I have to admit the finding the good in the bad isn't gonna work for me tonight - so I am going into what I consider the sure things...nothing earth shattering tonight and no nods for a Nobel Prize - however am keeping my committment to myself and to you.

So, today I am grateful for:

• Hankies - these lovely little delicate pieces of cloth that remind me that being sentimental and emotional should be a statement - not something to apologize for and "wish you had a tissue".
• Big soft socks that keep our transitioning feet toasty warm as the weather drops 40 degrees over the last week.
• Friends who share and trust you with their most precious personal information - what an honor.
• Kitty cats with 5 toes you warm the hearts and hearths of those of us fortunate to know you.
• The cruddy weather this afternoon that mirrored my mood - the lightening and thunder and rain was exactly what I was trying to say but couldn't get out.

......my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 7 - Today I am Grateful For.....

So it's been 7 days - frankly I've had some moments where I have sat here at night and thought...."if I don't do this tonight no one will notice." Accountability - verbalizing to others is significant. I believe in keeping most things private, however I have often wondered what it would look like if I was brave and in essence asked for help by making a statement an intention if you will - and prepared myself for the assistance that would be offered...interesting...very interesting.
So, today I am grateful for:

1. A sleepless night that had me awake for a most beautiful sunrise.
2. The commitment of women I know to address adversity by identifying opportunity and bring others along.
3. The willingness of a young woman to seek counsel in developing her businessand building her board of direction. I am looking forward to watching your success Sara Shelton of Seattle Aging Solutions
4. The return of my kitty cat to his place on the back of my chair on his blanky now that it is below 50 degress.
5. To learn I am an inspiration to others.

...my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.

Day 6 - Today I am Grateful For.....

So today is my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. And in true practical Ray and Kay fashion - he golfed in a memorial golf tourney he has participated in every year since his friend died and she worked because it was month end and somehow she ends up with extra days off...her words to him on the way out the door this morning at 5 am, "Be home by 3:30 (she's off at 2:30) - that's when we got married 40 years ago."

If you don't know me - or as you do get to know me you will know that my parent's are so much to me - most importantly they are friends to me - and when I introduced them to Pat in 1994 - him too.

So today I am grateful for:

1. Mom and dad who are celebrating their anniversary today.


2. Living this one great love I have been given - thank you Pat.


3. Friends who show unexpected appreciation when you do no less than they would.


4. The lovely walkway on Alki where I can enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon and walk with husband and hound.


5. John Muir and what he did to identify, preserve and protect what I love as Yosemite National Park - thank you Mr. Muir for listening to the spirits who counted on you to tell their story.

.....my wish for you and all you know is prosperity and the good fortune you deserve.