Free To Hang

The Season, that I’m convinced was made especially for me, comes to an end, which I’m never ready for, in a few days. At each end, I brace myself for Summer’s exit while looking into the forecast to see exactly how many days of wearing shorts I have left. Slowly, I’ve started to shift my closet: packing away shorts and sandals. But I will not pack away my bright colored/printed dresses. Dresses can be the perfect layering piece during cooler weather. The bright colors can also help keep your mood up when it’s gloomy outside with snow filled skies. Who said bright, bold colors and prints can only be worn during Spring and Summer months?!

The pictures below show how a bright, floral, rayon jersey dress can be transitioned from Spring to Winter. Moral of this post: Keep the dresses, the bright ones, the floral ones, even the short ones, free to hang in the Winter! 

30 Days of Gratitude

     I started this “30 Days of Gratitude” journey, I guess you could call it. Why 30 days? I go throughout my months planning, thinking, doing, talking, and……. well, complaining. I started to wonder how many days do I spend giving thanks? How much time do I dedicate out of the month to make a conscious effort to express gratitude?

     The first thing I do when I wake up is write down everything I’m thankful for, no matter how big or how small. You may say writing isn’t necessary because you can review what you are thankful for in your mind while you are driving, exercising, or waiting for an appointment. That’s true for a person who is not easily distracted. When I’m working out or waiting for…anything..my mind often races. I’ve tried this gratitude exercise while I’m driving but then my concentration gets broken by a driver who decides to make it obvious that he/she suffers from mental dullness.  Writing makes expressing gratitude more of a deliberate action. Writing forces me to be fully aware of the blessings in my life instead of having just a fleeting thankful moment.

     I’m on day 12.  The thankful thoughts flow fast. Some mornings I can’t write fast enough. I have found that there were some events that I overlooked as blessings because I was too busy inflating the things that went wrong. I can say that this exercise has taken the sting out of life’s un-pleasantries. It makes them look more temporary and bearable.

     Since starting this exercise, I’ve taken my writing beyond the morning. When I find myself complaining, during the day, about anything, I pull out my S-pen and add to my gratitude journal.

  
    Cheers to being thankful!