One of the things I love most about life is my ability to just be thankful and grateful for most everything, everyone and every experience I’m lucky enough to live… and then WITH some effort, every other single thing in life that may not seem so ‘yummy’ at first glance!As today is America’s Day of Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for and I genuinely LOVE focusing on those things for which I am so grateful, my thoughts today are simply about that… Love and Thankfulness!
For the past two to three weeks, the topic of love has come to my attention, over and over again in many different ways: from the songs I find I’m singing when I first open my eyes in the morning, to thoughts of friends I love, my home, the crazy love affair I experience with nature every day, to the sky and the incredibly ever fascinating white clouds…
I find that no matter where I’m at or who I’m with, in short order, I’m smiling and gushing some form of love of this, or like of that and aren’t we lucky the sky is so blue… and for my personal day of Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to share some of this gratitude life (how I live it) with you. It always starts with some simple ‘What I loves’… like:
What I love about waking up each day…
If there is one thing in the world I love… it is waking up in my most wonderful and fantastic bed… it’s not really anything super special… it’s just very peaceful and provides me with the best sleep I’ve ever had… EVER.
There is almost always a smile on my face and a song in my heart—typically a song of love for me, the world and others who ALL need love so desperately. From the moment I open my eyes, my thoughts wander to how I can extend this endless love that flows out of me to someone else… it is nearly incurable this feeling of wanting to literally ‘love on every person in the world’ one by one or millions by millions as the universe creates the way for me to do so! I LOVE waking up!
What I love about music…
Besides that music is what allows me to express my physical passion in dance (and oh how I LOVE to dance)… my other great love of music is how the words make me feel. Recently, some really old songs… from literally out of no where popped into my consciousness and I find myself singing them… singing wonderful songs of love, sharing love, helping people… the one I woke with today comes as no surprise…
You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel
Waiting at the station with a workday wind a-blowing
I've got nothing to do but watch the passers-by
Mirrored in their faces I see frustration growing
And they don't see it showing, why do I?
You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel
I have often asked myself the reason for sadness
In a world where tears are just a lullaby
If there's any answer, maybe love can end the madness
Maybe not, oh, but we can only try
You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel
--Beautiful by Carole King
As my ability to be grateful and thankful for most everything and everyone abounds… the words of songs like this one have such special meaning for me!
As I go about the business of life, what I notice most is how the majority of people in the world just need a little love, a small kindness, an easy word of encouragement… and what do you get back for such small effort? People literally light up! They smile and you can SEE the change in their body language, a renewed zest for life shows on their face and a new pep in their step is obvious as they walk away. Ahhhhhhhhh…I LIVE my entire life for moments such as these, and they can happen anywhere with anyone at anytime from Walmart and the mall to any place you go or conduct business.
But HOW do YOU get there to begin this chain reaction of love into the world? "Come on Kelly, really, the economy is bad, life is changing, we are all filled with uncertainty, and wouldn’t it just be fake to pretend such joyfulness?" Yes, it would and while I think faking it could be one way to get there, I have a solution that is far easier and much more productive!
Just begin today while thankfulness and gratitude are already the order of the day and consciously on your mind.
TODAY, decide you will continue this one thing EVERY DAY for the rest of your life, and you’ll do it with simple easy steps such as:
When stuck in traffic, you will turn on your favorite songs and get so caught up in the music you love, you’ll not only forget the traffic jam… you’ll wish it was longer so you could hear the end of your favorite cd.
As you begin to look around, you’ll find small things to be thankful for everywhere, in everyone, in every situation… a sour teller at the bank might be someone you could jot a thankful note to on paper and leave as you depart (imagine how that feels?)… when things aren’t going your way, you could think of other times when things didn’t go the way you planned and they worked out EVEN BETTER… and then believe that this, too, will be that way!
It takes no more effort to choose to think and focus positively than it does your habitual ‘negative thought first’ patterns we’ve all learned and become accustomed to in life.
It simply takes practice.
Choosing to get up every single day with a smile on your face… planning (Yes… plan it out) that you are going to show the world all the love in your heart (no matter what they do or don’t do, say or don’t say). Yes, as the song says, 'people are gonna treat you better', but you know what? The song left out the most important part of all…
You are gonna treat YOU better! You are going to find that a consistent attitude of thankfulness and gratitude begins a seed of self-love inside you that no other love can equal. You are going to start seeing blessings where before you saw struggle, you are going to see love where you saw hate, you will see opportunity where you previously saw dissension, and in a very short period of time everything (YES EVERYTHING!) in your life is going to change--for the better!--right before your eyes!
How do I know this? I live it! Thanksgiving is THE pathway to true and lasting Inner Love and Peace. And that is what I truly wish for you and every other person I meet!
I guess it all boils down to this song I woke to a few days ago:
What the world needs now,
As my ability to be grateful and thankful for most everything and everyone abounds… the words of songs like this one have such special meaning for me!
As I go about the business of life, what I notice most is how the majority of people in the world just need a little love, a small kindness, an easy word of encouragement… and what do you get back for such small effort? People literally light up! They smile and you can SEE the change in their body language, a renewed zest for life shows on their face and a new pep in their step is obvious as they walk away. Ahhhhhhhhh…I LIVE my entire life for moments such as these, and they can happen anywhere with anyone at anytime from Walmart and the mall to any place you go or conduct business.
But HOW do YOU get there to begin this chain reaction of love into the world? "Come on Kelly, really, the economy is bad, life is changing, we are all filled with uncertainty, and wouldn’t it just be fake to pretend such joyfulness?" Yes, it would and while I think faking it could be one way to get there, I have a solution that is far easier and much more productive!
Just begin today while thankfulness and gratitude are already the order of the day and consciously on your mind.
TODAY, decide you will continue this one thing EVERY DAY for the rest of your life, and you’ll do it with simple easy steps such as:
When stuck in traffic, you will turn on your favorite songs and get so caught up in the music you love, you’ll not only forget the traffic jam… you’ll wish it was longer so you could hear the end of your favorite cd.
As you begin to look around, you’ll find small things to be thankful for everywhere, in everyone, in every situation… a sour teller at the bank might be someone you could jot a thankful note to on paper and leave as you depart (imagine how that feels?)… when things aren’t going your way, you could think of other times when things didn’t go the way you planned and they worked out EVEN BETTER… and then believe that this, too, will be that way!
It takes no more effort to choose to think and focus positively than it does your habitual ‘negative thought first’ patterns we’ve all learned and become accustomed to in life.
It simply takes practice.
Choosing to get up every single day with a smile on your face… planning (Yes… plan it out) that you are going to show the world all the love in your heart (no matter what they do or don’t do, say or don’t say). Yes, as the song says, 'people are gonna treat you better', but you know what? The song left out the most important part of all…
You are gonna treat YOU better! You are going to find that a consistent attitude of thankfulness and gratitude begins a seed of self-love inside you that no other love can equal. You are going to start seeing blessings where before you saw struggle, you are going to see love where you saw hate, you will see opportunity where you previously saw dissension, and in a very short period of time everything (YES EVERYTHING!) in your life is going to change--for the better!--right before your eyes!
How do I know this? I live it! Thanksgiving is THE pathway to true and lasting Inner Love and Peace. And that is what I truly wish for you and every other person I meet!
I guess it all boils down to this song I woke to a few days ago:
What the world needs now,
Is love, sweet love,
It's the only thing that there's just too little of.
What the world needs now,
Is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.
-Jackie DeShannon
People need inner self love, and they need love and understanding from other people, and ALL of it can easily be achieved by first starting with a mindset to live with gratitude and thankfulness moment by present moment!
As you may have guessed, my heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude this Thanksgiving Day for YOU, all the above, and much, much more!
Today I wish for YOU…
A day filled with gratitude,
a heart filled with joy,
a smile that brightens the world,
and all the love I can send your way!
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!
Kelly :-)
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