One day more...

I can't believe that there is just one day left in the month of April. This gratitude experiement has been amazing and one that I know I will continue for many, many days.

I've been thinking about what form this blog will take once April is over. I will continue with writing about gratitude but I'm also going to be writing about my eating experiements. This is going to be a huge source of gratitude for me because I am learning what my body can tolerate and exactly what it cannot. So huge for me.

I can't wait to keep going on this crazy, amazing journey of mine. Keep tuning in, it's going to be something else!


Tuesday, April 29th

1. Bursts of inspiration
2. A light schedule on a day when I needed it
3. Playing with my Dog, Sally
4. Knowing what foods to avoid
5. Great conversations


Monday, April 28th

1. My next step towards financial freedom
2. Being able to be there for a friend
3. The idea for the best birthday gift ever!
4. Planning ahead
5. Creativity


Sunday, April 27th

1. A good night's sleep
2. Feeling productive
3. Daily Detox Tea
4. This year's series of Detox Foot Pads
5. Finally filing my papers

I'm almost there!

I FINALLY got the chance to catch up with some old friends. I got some good news and some bad but all in all, I've been able to keep this mindset of gratitude strong all month long. I can't believe that April is almost over. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with all this gratitude, I'd love to say that I'll write out my gratitude list every day but who knows what will happen over the next few weeks, months or years?

I am so grateful to have had a chance to show my gratitude even though it's in this simplistic form. It works for me and I have noticed such a huge effect on my life.


Saturday, April 26th

1. Good times with old friends
2. Finding a parking spot a block and a half away from where I need to be
3. Good doctors and fast reaction times
4. A comfy bed
5. Being able to be comfortable being 100% honest


Friday, April 25th

1. Sleeping late!
2. Zero traffic
3. Knowing that while my mom may be bruised up and swollen, she didn't hurt herself falling
4. A reprieve at work...
5. A promise for quality time

So far, so good! : )

Although I was hit unexpectedly by my allergies, it's been a bit of a blessing in disguise. I've been forced to slow down. I've stopped to smell the roses, so to speak. ; )

I have had these incredible bursts of inspiration and that has been an amazing blessing. I think I might need to carry around some kind of recording device to capture all of my brillance!


Thursday, April 24th

1. An honest opinion
2. A good laugh with friends
3. Authenticity
4. On-time clients
5. The way my life currently is going


Wednesday, April 23rd

1. Sincerity
2. A cocktail before bed
3. Really bad reality tv
4. A really incredible offer
5. A hot shower


Tuesday, April 22nd

1. An open mind
2. A "Numbers" Guy
3. Patience
4. Unexpected presents
5. Any reason to celebrate


Monday, April 21st

1. Zinc
2. Puffs plus tissues
3. Changing plans
4. The support of friends
5. Inspiration

Springtime keep me busy, keeps me outside and moving around, BUT not at a computer!

Sunday, April 20th

1. Little or no traffic going to and coming home from Long Island
2. Time spent with friends who have turned into family
3. A flourless chocolate torte
4. The knowledge that I'm not a reality tv star
5. Happy moments of inspiration


Saturday, April 19th

1. Fuji Apples
2. A body scrub in the shower
3. SLEEP!
4. Beautiful Spring weather, okay, maybe Summer weather
5. Letting my feet breathe in sandals!


Friday, April 18th

1. An amazing sunrise
2. Time to sit and read
3. A conversation with a friend
4. Leaving work "early"
5. A yummy and well-timed gyro


Thursday, April 17th

1. Amazing clients
2. Energy for cardio (my own!)
3. Comfy clothes
4. Putting my feet up
5. Petting my dog, Sally


Wednesday, April 16th

1. A 7 am yoga class (yikes!)
2. Knowing that a spring cleanse is in my near future
3. An understanding friend
4. Still getting to bed early
5. Someone who can make me laugh


Tuesday, April 15th

1. Waking up early
2. Feeling super productive
3. My mom : )
4. My awesome clients
5. Getting to bed early


Monday, April 14th

1. PATIENCE, from myself and others
2. A helping hand exactly when it's needed
3. Dark chocolate
4. Not hitting any traffic at all
5. Finding an ice pack when I needed it

Am I ready for Monday?

This is one of the first weekends where I have done very little and I truly feel like my body needed it and deserved it. I entered the weekend with throbbing, achy feet and now they are much better and much happier.


Saturday, April 12th

1. Sleeping late
2. Early bedtimes
3. Do-nothing time
4. My 1st day of the year wearing sandals
5. French fries


Sunday, April 13th

1. My running shoes, a.k.a. my comfy old friends
2. Central Park in bloom
3. Runners cheering on for other runners
4. Some delicious oranges
5. My "Foot Pleaser" foot massager

It's been a good week...

Thursday, April 10th

1. A real, sincere compliment
2. Time to put my feet up
3. Being able to help out a friend
4. A nice long walk
5. Blooming flowers


Friday, April 11th

1. Love
2. A shared laugh
3. A really comfy bed
4. The mean green car missing hitting my own car
5. A flying saucer, even though I'm not supposed to be eating them! Yummy!

A few days of Gratitude...

Gratitude is a funny thing. It can happen in an instant but the effects last as long as you can remember them. I absolutely remember mine.


Saturday, April 5th

1. Creativity, either my own or others
2. Passion to make a difference in the world
3. Finding legal & free parking on the street in Times Square
4. Confidence to do things on my own, without flinching
5. Early bedtimes


Sunday, April 6th

1. Spending time with good friends
2. The hood on my sweatshirt
3. Volunteering for a half marathon
4. The smiles on the faces of women who finished their 1st half marathon
5. Yogatoes- they help stretch out the webbing on my feet


Monday, April 7th

1. Sleeping late (is 9 pm late?)
2. Someone who can make me laugh
3. Honest communication
4. Quiet time to work out, in my own time
5. Someone to just listen, without judgement


Tuesday, April 8th

1. Inspiration
2. Stress, yes, I mean it
3. A working computer internet connection
4. Freeze dried fuji apples & asian pears
5. My dog, Sally's wagging tail


Wednesday, April 9th

1. Two simple little words- thank you
2. A really good, long laugh
3. A nice, hot shower
4. Random questions
5. Time to put my feet up


For me, it's the little things that mean the most. I don't need the big, in your face acts that remind me just how grateful I am to be living this day. Gratitude is just gratitude.

Today's observation of Gratitude

I'm realizing now that Gratitude comes in many shapes, sizes and forms. I realize that I have so much to be grateful for and that every moment that I allow myself to feel (and I do mean really feel) grateful that my life is infinitely better than the moment before.

What I was grateful for on Wednesday, April 2nd:

1. My alarm clock
2. The sunrise
3. The sunset

I'm going to address these three together because they were so intimately related on Wednesday. I am grateful for my alarm clock because it was the only reason that I woke up on time and made it to work early enough to be ready to torture my pilates students.

Because of my alarm clock going off at the right time, I am so grateful to have had the chance to see the moon in the crisp, clean air as I drove into Manhattan. As I watched the moon, I was able to see the sun rise underneath it. It was pretty cool and such a quiet moment to really set my day off the best way I could have thought possible.

I did say that the sunset was related to both the alarm clock and the sunrise. Well, that is only partly true. I am so grateful for the sunset because I was also able to see that from my car. Doesn't seem like such a big deal, right? Well, since I usually miss the sunset, I was very grateful to be on my way home while the sun was setting. Somewhat unheard of, but very much needed!

4. My lack of internet connection

I was so super-motivated to get home and get myself on the computer before I headed off to bed. BUT my computer decided to not connect to the internet. So I went to bed early. I am so so so grateful for that.

5. One of those lavender scented body hot packs

I know you've all seen these things at your own local mall. They look like little pillows and are usually sold by people looking to reduce your stress. I've made it somewhat of a bedtime ritual to heat mine up in the microwave and use it to warm up my bed before I get into it. I love the feeling of a warm bed especially now with the damp, sometimes chilly nights of the springtime. It really makes my falling asleep so much easier.


Thursday, April 3rd

1. All of my amazing clients

I am constantly amazed by all of my clients. Whether they are working on their food and wellness "stuff" me or in the gym working on their physical bodies, I am constantly in awe of the progress that they are making and it makes me so grateful to be able to witness their growth and transformations.

2. Some quiet time to myself

As much as I love being around people, I still cherish my time alone. I got some Thursday, yay!

3. My school buddy Shayna

Shayna and I have been phone buddies for a whole year. She's got my back and I've got hers and I am so grateful that we've been able to keep our Thursday morning dates for so long. It's really amazing that I've been able to bounce ideas off of her and know that I have a constant source of love and support.

4. My bed

I fell into my bed Thursday night and it was like falling into a giant cloud. So perfect and so appreciated for a tired body!

5. A phone call with an old friend

Things don't need to change just because distance separates any of us. It's really nice to know that and not be the only one to feel that way.


Friday, April 4th

1. Patience
2. Being stuck in traffic
3. A short day
4. A working internet connection, finally
5. Good, sincere, honest conversations


I'm finishing up adding in details about why I'm grateful for what I've put on my list. This is a little bit of motivation. Know that writing it down is enough, you never need to explain anything.

I find that gratitude is a strong emotion and never really needs explanation. If someone really asks why you are grateful for something in your life, maybe they really just don't need an answer. Once you've experienced gratitude, the explanation of it will never do it enough justice.

It's a feeling, plain and simple.

Day One

Day one, April 1st:

What am I grateful for today? Other than the usual long list that I keep running over in my head. Here are today's highlights!

1. Traffic.com

This site has saved my butt many a day by keeping me updated on my usual routes to and from work. I can even set them up to hit at different times of the day on the same day! Genius!

2. Chinese food buffets

Yet another reminder and hopefully one of the last that yes, wheat and gluten are not good for my body. I eat the food, my stomach hurts. Great routine but I'm getting tired of it. Then again, I need the reminder every so often.

3. The rain

April showers bring May flowers. I love flowers. I saw daffodils today. I love daffodils. I'm just waiting for the tulips.

4. My purple bed linens

They are so comfortable. Once I'm curled up in them, I don't really want to leave. To make it even better, they're organic. Not the widespread but not really organic, but the for real organic. I don't feel guilty sleeping but now I feel even less guilty for spending more time in bed!

5. Orchid food

While this may seem totally out of left field, my mom and I went to the New York Botanical Gardens on Saturday, March 29th to see the Orchid Show. The whole thing is incredible and I highly recommend going (by the way it closes on April 6th). While we were there we stopped in the Botanical Garden gift shop and found the one thing that I feel my orchid needs to thrive. Yes, I could have picked it up anywhere, but I didn't simply because it wasn't at the forefront of my mind. Seeing all these beautiful orchids for sale made me want to have my own orchid bloom again. I bought myself a slipper orchid which, to me, looks like a rastafarian orchid plant, anyway, I named him Bob Marley. His bloom lasts almost 3 months but then takes him time to bloom again. He's already responding to the food. I'm excited because maybe I'll have another bloom to stare at in my bathroom.

The key is simple things. Simple things keep me happy and it's much easier to be grateful for simple things than to go out and look for big things.

Till tomorrow.