Be Happy! You have taste buds...

I was reading an article recently about a woman who had trouble tasting food. Without getting into the obvious survival reasons for humans developing an advanced sense of taste, I started thinking about how different life would be without it. You'd never crave that favorite neighborhood pizza and the salivary anticipation it creates. Chicken wings! Mmmmm.... I bet some of you are drooling already. How about one of mom's favorites? I often crave the delicious flavor of my mother's homemade chicken noodle soup. When we were children, my brother and I used to eat lightly when mom would bake a bird, just because we knew she'd turn it into soup the next day. Your taste buds are designed to help keep you safe from eating foods that are poisonous or rotten, but think of how much joy they give to your existence. You'd never know the excitement of a dinner reservation at your favorite restaurant without them. I am grateful for the gift of taste.... judging by my midsection I often abuse the pleasure! :) Have a fantastic day and really think about how wonderful it is to bite into, and taste, your next meal.

Who needs a ride?

Day 2. Today I am grateful for the fact that I had a car that worked and was warm in the sub-zero weather we were having in the WNY area yesterday. I wanted to pick up every single person I saw outside walking in the cold. I didn't pick them all up, but I did pick up a few people who looked especially cold or had grocery bags. One older gentleman was walking through a tundra, a polar vortex if you will, on South Park Avenue. I pulled over to see where he was going and it turned out we were headed for the same place. He was thrilled to be out of the cold. He said, "Man! You never know where your blessings come from. I really appreciate this. This is the nicest thing somebody has done for me in a long time!" That really made me think. There's so much more we could do, but sometimes the simple things have the biggest impact. Have a great day everyone!

Got Gratefulness?

This blog will be a place to write about something I'm grateful for every day. At least one thing. The idea comes from gratitude journaling, which is held in high regard by those trying to implement the power of positive thinking in their lives. If you'd like to participate, please leave comments and tell everyone what you are happy about in your life today. It could be that you stopped and observed an act of kindness or one of the many miracles of the natural world. Anything positive counts! If you are struggling to find something to be grateful for in the present moment due to extreme hardship, share a past memory or experience that was great in your life. I wish you all the blessings and joy in the world. Day 1. 1/29/14- I'm thankful that I could be inspired by my friend Barbara to do this today. Her facebook post about creating a gratitude journal was an instant winner in my book! We have been speaking on the power of positive thinking and gratitude lately. In a world where folks are so connected by social media this struck me as a simple and profound way to spread cheer once a day. Barbara is also an amazingly creative person that I have the pleasure of working with in a few common creative pursuits! On top of being an amazing friend...she is super supportive of all of her creative friends, often going to gallery showings, concerts, and events they are holding. She goes out of her way for people all of the time and we are all very lucky to have her in our lives. #attitudegratitude