Grateful

Somebody once told me that the best way to get the most out of life is to be grateful.  At the time I was young and more or less brushed off their advice.  I may have written down the things I was grateful at that moment in one of my million notebooks only to forget about it and go about my everyday.  It wasn't until this past year that I really began to think about all the things I have to be grateful for, that I fully began to understand and appreciate this philosophy.

It is much too easy to get caught up in our own everyday lives and forget about all the things we have to appreciate.  Life can be stressful, frustrating, and mundane, but it can also be magical, beautiful, and wonderful all at the same time.  If you step back for a moment and really think about living a grateful life I am confident you will begin to recognize the good with the bad and appreciate the happy with the sad.  Life isn't about things being perfect and things don't always turn out the way you would like them too so it's important to start to recognize and appreciate more than just the negative.

I have so much to be grateful for but at the top of my list I have the hills that I hike, the air that I breathe, the love that I share, and the life that I live.  I hope you have a grateful day!

Happy 2014

It is hard to believe another year has past, but sure enough I find myself in 2014.  As most people do I use New Year's as a time of reflection - looking back while still moving forward.  This past year has been a crazy one, but as I think about it I realize almost every year is crazy but each for different reasons.  This past year was all about our house, while the year before that was all about being newlyweds, and before that was about planning our wedding.  Life continues to fly by and yet this year feels different.

I spent most of my 20's trying to figure out who I was and where I was going, but over this past year I began to feel more comfortable in my own skin and I realized I was finally home. Leaving San Francisco seemed terrifying just over a year ago and yet it has proved to be the best decision we have made thus far.  Settling into suburban life was much easier than expected and living back in Marin is surprisingly a dream come true.

I spent New Year's eve at home with my husband, our dog, and a movie.  The years of expensive New Year's social events followed by the never ending cab hunt in San Francisco may be a thing of the past, but I am beginning to accept this new reality and appreciate our more settled life in the suburbs.  We spent our morning walking around Tiburon with coffee and croissants instead of with a pounding headache and a hangover.  I spent the afternoon on a solo hike into the beautiful hills above our house and spent nearly an hour meditating on a rock overlooking Mt Tam.  All of these things I would not have imagined a year ago and yet it feels just right.  All of this has me looking forward to 2014 and even more self understanding and exploration.

Merry and Bright

The holidays are different this year with both of my brothers preparing for new additions and therefore not traveling home for the holidays.  We spent the past year remodeling and felt so fortunate for everything that we have that we decided to donate presents to those in need rather than buy gifts for each other. We worked with Adopt a Family of Marin and are already looking forward to donating again next year.  

I hope you and your family have a Merry and Bright Christmas!