So, technically, my 30 Days of Thanks challenge is over as of today. And, well, I didn’t exactly do it perfectly…I missed days here and there and mashed up several posts into one to make up for it. But in the end it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like I have hundreds of readers who are waiting with baited breath for my next post! I did this challenge for myself and to reinvigorate the blogging spirit that had been lying dormant for such a long while.
I think what I’ve truly learned during the past 30 days is that I really am in control of my future. It’s up to me pick myself up, to figure out how to find my happy, to put positive markers in place when I’m feeling down, to look for light in the dark, and to believe in myself even when I don’t think it’s possible.
And then I saw this and think it sums up everything, well, pretty perfectly!
Thank you to those who have shared this journey with me…and stay tuned for my future posts!
Today I’m thankful for good ol’ fashioned phone conversations with friends. A chat tonight with a friend I had been wanting to catch up with made me feel grateful for her friendship and recharged, too. Whenever we chat, she always offers helpful advice and reminds me that I need to have faith that things will get better for me. She is wonderfully positive and her energy always rubs off on me after we talk.
So tonight when I head to bed, I am going to slip into my dreams reminding myself that I owe it to myself to continue to keep the faith…
Yikes!! I haven’t blogged at all since the day before Thanksgiving…but I have a really good reason: I was truly enjoying my time in Cincinnati with my three nieces!!! Though I took my computer with me, I rarely opened it for more than a minute as I was truly exhausted at the end of each day.
My nieces range from 6 to 2 and they are amazing and hilarious and I cherished every single moment I spent with them (and of course my brother and sister-in-law, too!). Below are an array of photos from my trip to Cincy…
My brother Aaron with Autumn, Savannah and Sasha
Sasha and Feliz
Savannah before her swim lesson at the YMCA
Photo after playing at the park! We missed Autumn…she was at school 😦
Last night I went bowling for the first time since I was little. I met up with friends at Brooklyn Bowl and I can’t lie: I’m not very good! But it was really fun to engage in a new activity, or rather, an old activity that I just hadn’t done in many, many years. It brought back dusty memories of going to the bowling alley on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington with my Dad and brothers. Yes, I still hate the stinky shoes (ew!)…but the game is still a lot of fun! It was also the perfect segway into Thanksgiving, as I will be traveling back to Ohio (where I grew up) to be with my family (minus my sister, Julia, who won’t be there :(). And while I’m not a huge fan of the actual feast, I am a wonderfully big fan of being reunited with [most of] my family, who is rarely together.
My family at Easter, April 2011
The Hay Family (minus my sister-in-law, Marla, (the photog) and Baby Savannah)…I love this one 🙂 Easter, April 2011
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, when my niece, Autumn, turns 6! On Thanksgiving!!!!!
Okay, so I’m really running behind in my posts…yikes! I was so excited for my post yesterday but I just really, truly, ran out of time! I’m in NYC for a few days and whenever I am here I always, ALWAYS feel like I run out of time. I know, I know, everyone (including truly amazing and talented people like Michelangelo and Steve Jobs and Helen Keller and Albert Einstein) has just the same amount of time as I do to get everything done. But somehow, I swear, being in New York always makes me feel like the minutes are just being sucked away from me from the moment I enter the city…
And speaking of that moment: THAT is what I am grateful for. That moment when I enter New York City. It is such an invigorating and exciting snapshot in time for me and I anticipate it every time I come into New York. The vast panorama of the skyscrapers. The view from the bridges over water. Zooming through the Holland Tunnel. Entering the city and looking up at the buildings now hugging my surroundings. It all spurs me to want to join the flow and become a part of the rhythm. Sometimes I wonder, will it still be there? That feeling? That overwhelming sense of inclusion that I’ve now somehow become privy to the most spectacular secret and it’s been waiting for me since the last time I left, anticipating my return…
If only I could bottle that feeling and spritz it on myself anytime I’m feeling a bit low. Now wouldn’t that be amazing?!
Captured: Feliz’s first moment in Manhattan…She’s having THAT moment…(I think)…
Today, I’m thankful for tomorrow. I know, that might sound a little silly, but these days I often find myself looking forward to a new day. I think that when life gets especially challenging there is hope in the renewal that always comes in the morning. There is great comfort that lies in knowing that whatever transpired today can be rolled away as the moon takes over the sky. I suppose it’s not a revelation, but it’s my revelation…
But more literally speaking, tomorrow, I’ll be in New York. I have the opportunity to see a dear friend who lives in the U.K. and I haven’t seen in two years. And for that, I’m also truly grateful.
View from the bus on a recent trip to NYC via Instagram
And…a new favorite quote:
“The future is sending back good wishes and waiting with open arms.” – Kobi Yamada
Today I’m thankful for walks. It’s a pretty simple thing to be thankful for, but tonight I pushed myself to go outside even though I didn’t really want to, to take Feliz for an extra long walk. Things have been rather tough for me lately and I’m trying really hard to dig deep and find the strength to push forward and create my own happiness, even when I’m not feeling it.
The walk tonight felt good with crisp air outside and bright stars in the sky. I let Feliz direct the walk and we went wherever she felt like going. I was able to open my heart for 30 minutes and get out of my head. And best of all, walks are free 🙂
These booties were made for walking…(Skirt, vintage Ralph Lauren, found on ReFashioner; Booties from Marais)
Tonight I spent a couple of hours catching up on Glee. Sure, it’s not the same show it was the first season when it was fresh and new. (The first episode I ever saw was on a flight to London and I thought I had died and gone to heaven!) And it has gone through a lot of changes this season after graduating a lot of its main characters. But at the end of the day the show makes me really happy. I always want to download the songs they sing, and playing them in the car makes me smile for miles.
On tonight’s episode they performed Grease and it brought back so many memories of childhood. So fun!
Today, I was particularly reminded of why I’m grateful for my Mom. And though there are a million intimate memories I could share with you about the relationship I have with her, I think this passage says it best:
“Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.” -African saying
My Mom has so many incredible qualities as a human being, but I think the one that touches me the most is her innate ability to make me feel like I matter. And for that, I will always be grateful.
Today I’m thankful for…COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!!! When I was a kid, my Dad used to only let us get cable during basketball season (which for those of you who don’t know, it’s from November to March). It was always extremely exciting to see the cable guy come and install the box above the tv, knowing another season was just about to start.
Tonight, my team, Duke, is playing Kentucky for the first time since 2001. It’s an intense matchup for so many reasons, but probably the greatest can be summed up in two words: the shot. And then two more words: Christian Laettner. So I’ll just instruct anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about to click here.
But also, please watch this:
I was actually at this historic game. I was nine. It is probably the most incredible memory I have as a Duke fan and no matter how many times I see the replay, it’s still just as exciting as the day it happened.
So as I digress into my deep Duke fandom, I want to touch upon why I am so grateful for basketball season. In truth: it provides me with comfort and reminds me of home. It makes me think of my Dad and all of the memories I have of sharing the Duke basketball experience with him throughout my life. It reminds me of my entire family and how many games we’ve attended together over the years. I can picture my 87-year-old grandmother watching games by herself in South Carolina and I look forward to dishing with her after the games about what she thought (she always has an opinion!).
I love the connection I feel to the sport. It’s by far my favorite sport, as I played it for many years growing up and have a deep respect for the athleticism and devotion it takes to be really good. I am amazed by the artful plays that take place on the court and I feel wrapped in camaraderie every time I enter Cameron Indoor.
That’s Bobby Hurley!
Feliz in her Duke cheerleading outfit
At the end of the day, I just purely love the game of basketball. So thank you, James Naismith!
feliz is her name 