Over Thanksgiving weekend in October, and again over Thanksgiving weekend in November, I counted my blessings (including the fact that I celebrate Thanksgiving twice).  Let me tell you, it made me feel good.  So good, in fact, that I want to do it again.  I need to do it again.  And again.  And again.

Even though I love the idea of expressing gratitude every day, the truth is, I’m not so great at making it a daily practice.  It’s not that I’m incapable of having daily practices – seriously, if I don’t floss before I go to bed each night, the world feels a bit topsy turvy.  And yes, I eat every single day – though I’m not sure if that’s considered a practice or a necessity.  At some point, though, doesn’t a practice become a necessity, even if it doesn’t start out that way?

There’s plenty I do daily that I could consider a practice if I were going to get technical about it.  But I confess, I’m challenged with the prospect of adding new practices, even though I’m talking about things that are really important to me and good for me and make me feel great, namely meditation, exercise, and giving thanks.

I could sit here and ponder why getting into this practice is hard for me.  Or I could just dig in and give thanks.

I’m thankful for having accumulated enough Alaska Air miles to fly to Southern California in late November to spend precious time with family and friends.   I’m thankful that I made it to the airport with time to spare, even though there was snow on the ground from Vancouver’s first snowfall of the season. I’m thankful for the dude in the yellow jacket who de-iced my plane, even though it made our flight an hour late. (Hey, I just heard it’s supposed to snow in Beverly Hills tonight!)I’m thankful that after I arrived in LA, it stopped raining long enough for me to take some beautiful family shots of SF & K & C in their backyard.I’m thankful that I got to spend some wonderful family time that night with S & M & S, and for the amazing ribs that SF cooked up for all of us.I’m thankful that the next day, my brother and his wife and daughters arrived safely from Minneapolis (despite a harrowing trip to the airport in an ice storm), that we had a safe and easy drive from LAX to Palm Springs, and that I got some fun shots along the way.I’m incredibly thankful to my brother for renting a fabulous house in Palm Springs, with room enough for me and my mom to stay with him and his family.I’m thankful that I got to spend so much quality time with my beautiful nieces.I’m thankful that I got to see my mom loving being a Nana.I’m thankful that we were able to share Thanksgiving with the same family we’ve been celebrating with on and off for 35 years.I’m thankful for so much more… too much to say now.  In this moment, I am incredibly grateful for the delicious hot bowl of spaghetti I just ate for lunch on this dreary, wet afternoon in Vancouver.

I may just keep writing about gratitude… it sure does feel good.  Who wants to join me?