What made my Swiss Chard so delicious last night?

It sure wasn’t any fancy ideas on my part or a great recipe.  Nope!  Rather, it was a huge dose of gratitude.  I know it’s a common practice to bless our food and I love doing that when I sit down to eat.  Sometimes I laugh at how carried away I can get with my gratitude and my food gets cold.

Last night I was preparing my dinner and feeling a little bored with the choices.  That’s when I want to just hurry up and “put something on to cook” while I run off and write or make a phone call.  My attention span in the kitchen can be a bit short.

Recognizing the above thought as a pattern, I made a conscious choice to be in gratitude and focus my attention on every detail of my meal.  While I chopped the chard, I gave thanks for everyone who had a role in it reaching my table.  Since I buy my veggies from Farmer John at the outdoor market on Fridays, I visualized John and his staff.  More thoughts of gratitude.

I did the same with my salmon which I get from Lisa, also at the outdoor market.  And my recent purchase of Mediterranean-style olive oil had me picturing those beautiful olive trees with immense gratitude–the taste is even more yummy than traditional flavors of olive oil.

I even blessed the dash of Himalayan sea salt as I sprinkled a little on the chard with olive oil.  Both came a great distance so I know lots of lives were involved.  I gave thanks to all of them.

The result?  What seemed plain and routine took on such great taste.  I ate slower and felt so much connection to the food.  It was as if I had tried a new recipe.  Maybe I did–a gratitude recipe.

If your cooking feels flat and routine, try adding some extra gratitude as you prepare your meals.  It takes grateful dining to a whole new level.

Thank You Tips in the Kitchen:

1.  Give thanks for  having a kitchen to prepare food.

2.  Say thank you to each ingredient.

3.  Bless the folks who made the food possible.

4.  Say thank you for the recipes if you are using them.

5.  Feel appreciation for everything you are doing to prepare the meal.

Enjoy your meal with feelings of gratitude and grace!

So Thankful for Laughter During the Holidays!

During the holidays, Santa is a familiar sight greeting children of all ages with a hearty ho-ho-ho.  Every Monday morning at the laughter class in club house one you can hear a similar greeting—ho-ho-ha-ha-ha.  This greeting is practiced by thousands of laughter groups all over the world.

I think it is a good idea to mention the importance of laughter, especially during the holidays. For most, this time of the year means extra shopping, cooking, cleaning and preparations for get-togethers and special celebrations.  Celebrations are worth the extra fuss; however, holidays can also create anxiety, stress, depression or illness.  Laughter is the perfect antidote.

Research has shown that sustained laughter can lower blood pressure, enhance the immune system, relieve stress and reduce pain among many potential health benefits.  In his book, Laugh for No Reason, Dr. Kataria states: “Laughter makes us feel good because it diffuses three of the most painful emotions (fear, anger and boredom) by releasing them.”

Laughter is easy to do, anywhere and anytime and a laughter class offers the added benefit of laughing for the fun of it with others. As a laughter leader, I like to incorporate routines that address everyday experiences such as silent laughter when for some reason laughing out loud is “unacceptable.”  There is forgiveness laughter, gratitude laughter and one of my favorites—responding to life’s challenges laughter.  I had to use that one just the other day when I became distracted at the gas pump while refueling my car.  Yes, you guessed it; I attempted to drive off without returning the nozzle to its holder.  When tears weren’t going to lower the repair charge, I responded with laughter.  I really had a good laugh when the attendant told me that my goof occurs at least 1-2 times a week!

Laughter is a natural energy that we can tap without hearing a joke or seeing something funny.  People who attend a laughter class for the first time may feel a little awkward laughing for no reason.  They soon find out the laughter becomes real with the eye contact of others, and that it is great exercise.

So here we are with the holidays in full swing. Even with all the excitement, we could still find ourselves feeling up one day and down the next.  If that happens, take a laughter break.  It’s proven to be good for what ails you.  It’s certainly easier, safer and a lot less expensive to do so before something breaks…like the nozzle on that gas pump!  I knew when that happened it was a signal for me to slow down, breathe and give thanks the reminder didn’t cost me any more than it did.

Grateful for 9/11 Legacies

In tribute to the 10^th anniversary of the tragedy our country experienced on September 11, 2001, I am writing today’s blog to express my gratitude for the people who chose to leave a positive legacy after their tragic losses.  It was so heartwarming to learn about eight nonprofits that have been established in memory of lost loved ones.  Following is a brief description of each with the website for further information.

Five Favorites to Tell Your Body Thanks

It’s back-to-school season and that means teachers are reviewing past lessons before launching into new curriculum.  In keeping with the new school year theme, here is a review of basic Body ThankYouology principles.

What is the premise of Body ThankYouology?  When you think about it, our body OUR life possible.  Our dreams, our creativity, our hopes, our feelings, our thoughts, our abilities, our gifts, our memories.  Without our body, we could not enjoy all of the feelings and experiences.  SO, the question is, how well are we taking care of this body that gives us life?  How much attention do we give it?  How much appreciation do we express directly to our body.  We may say “thank you” for our health or “thank you” for our well-being.  What about getting specific?  Have you said “thank you” to your thumb lately?  It does a lot you know. 

Drinking Water is a BIG Thank You for the Body

I have always been a big advocate of drinking a lot of water.  As a child my mother taught me to drink water instead of sodas or juice and she said not to drink anything with my meals.  To this day I still follow those simple guidelines.  Now more than ever, today’s information highway touts the advantages of drinking water and it is a huge industry with the sales of bottled waters, filters and other related products. 

Thank You “Give Back”

Okay…maybe I am the only one who didn’t watch every last one of Oprah’s shows.  I did catch some and missed many others.  Today I was able to watch one (well sorta as I went through emails) and it was great.  In particular, the winner of Oprah’s reality show, the Big Give, was one of her guests.  Since he won the million dollars a few years ago, he has gone has taken the art of giving to heart. 

Calling All Teachers!

The school bells will be ringing soon and this is a blog specifically for teachers and parents to start the year off with an emphasis on teaching children the art of saying thank you.  If not in school or at home, then when and where are they going to learn the value of being grateful and expressing it?