Gratitude: Day 20

Helping people. I am fortunate enough to get to do work that is rewarding. Giving talks on health, answering peoples' questions and working one-on-one with individuals gives me the opportunity to make the world a better place. Health really does start with food--but most people are too confused by what they see on television and/or find the topic too boring to give it much thought. I enjoy the challenge of combating those two issues and helping people to feel better.
Over the years certain experiences, even knowing certain people, really cemented a level of concern about people's relationship with food. In school, reading study after study and learning from progressive doctors, chefs, and authors, was an amazing experience--even eye opening for someone who had given the topic a lot of thought. I am grateful for all I've learned both in and out of the classroom. I am equally grateful for the opportunity to plant seeds that help people feel better.

Gratitude: Day 19

Pretty things to see. I recently added a few blogs to the blogroll I read just because they are pretty. I enjoy looking at the pictures. No need to make anything or buy anything or be told to buy something because everyone else has one. I love that there are people out there who dedicate their blogs to just looking at things, seeing the beauty in them and sharing that with other people.

Gratitude: Day 18

Reading. This is something I definitely value more as I get older. Not only do I appreciate having the skill to read but I appreciate the fact that I have so many stories to choose from. There are so many great books out there, I always have things I love to read.

I also appreciate the fact that that there are so many options these days for how a person can read. You can buy books at a store, you can order online, you can use a book reader, or listen to an audio book, you can borrow books from a library, you can swap books online from people all over the world. I love all the options!

Gratitude: Day 17

Family. Although for me and my husband family is really few and far between, we are grateful for family members that we do have and keep in touch with. They make our lives better with their support and understanding.

Gratitude: Day 16

Relaxation. I love to work, but I also love having a four-day weekend once in a while.

Gratitude: Day 15

Thanksgiving. I've had a lot of Thanksgivings in a lot of different places, with a lot of different people over the years, and the thing that always strikes me is that no one does it the same. No two houses or families ever celebrate alike.
But it seems like the tradition would be almost a carbon copy from home to home. I guess that speaks to how different families are themselves.
There are aspects I notice such as: the level of formality, the location, the amount of religion involved, the food itself, the time of day, the conversation, the number of people, who cooks and why, and the length of the meal. Thanksgiving is a meal, but its also microcosm of a family's structure and I'm happy over the years to have been able to spend it with so many varied kinds of families in three different states.

Gratitude: Day 14

Sometimes we forget to be grateful for certain things like having heat in our homes in the winter time. It's easy to take those kinds of things for granted because it's something most of us have been able to count on all our lives. But not everyone has had that kind of security. Even if it gets hard to pay for heat at times, it's not the same as having to face going without heat. And I am just thinking about the enormity of that.