After so many comments about my proposed bra free indicator light for the kitchen in our last newsletter, I figured I’d stick with a female undergarment theme for this month. By the way, did you know there are 154 synonyms for bra?  I can only think of about three. The internet is a wonderful thing. Anyway, since no one is stepping up to create a brassiere red light/green light, I’ve come up with the next best thing. See I walk the dog every morning and sometimes it’s 17 degrees and I have on 17 layers and a big puffy coat and I suddenly realized I could skip the female support garment and no one would even know it. It’s my own personal bandeau free protest.

So I tried it. There were some support provider complications, to be honest. Wasn’t quite as liberating as I thought it would be-which brings me to our topic-sort of.  It’s, of course, the month of thanks and so even though I’ve been fighting the lifting lingerie, I’m actually sort of happy for it. My walk wasn’t the same without it and it reminds me of so many things I have to be grateful for. Sometimes I forget. I love to be reminded of what I hold near and dear (and I swear that’s not a bra reference!).

Gratitude is this powerful, simple, tangible thing we can all weave into our lives every day with a simple thought. It’s like a green light on a good idea. Now that makes sense!

Gratitude is a powerful practice that can literally change your life from the inside out! It starts in your mind and your heart, and radiates out into the world around you. Gratitude creates an upward spiral that is highly contagious and has a magnitude of benefits that positively impact your physical and emotional well-being.

The key elements to a gratitude practice are intention, mindfulness and focused attention. Let's break these down to actionable steps.

• Intention ~ Gratitude begins with setting the intention to be grateful.
  ACTION STEP: Wake up each day and say "I am grateful for my life!" Or "I am grateful to be alive!"
• Mindfulness ~ Gratitude involves being mindful and aware of the beauty that exists all around you.
  ACTION STEP: Actively seek the positive aspects of life. Remember, what we look for is what we will see in life.
• Focused attention ~ Gratitude requires that you shift your focus from what’s going wrong to what’s going right in your life.
  ACTION STEP: Pay attention to what matters most in life. We are all so busy (especially this time of year), and we tend to lose track of the true treasures in life. You may want to start a gratitude journal where you can make a list of those treasures, so you can refer back to it when you need a reminder.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start a gratitude practice! Even if you can only manage one of the elements listed above, you will be headed in the right direction for the holidays!

We wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and want you to know how grateful we are to have you in our collaborative community!