A Little Bit of Leather + A Whole Lot of Gratitude

November is such a great month! It's full of family, friends, and most of all...gratitude. Today it seems to be the trend to go out and ask for candy on Halloween then turn around and ask Santa for gifts the next day. Too often, Thanksgiving is forgotten or overlooked and it makes me so sad. I LOVE THANKSGIVING! I love the time to reflect, think back on my year and realize how blessed I've been and how much I truly have to be thankful for. 

So here's some things I'm thankful for and ways that we can continue to be grateful even once Thanksgiving has passed!

1.  My Body: This is a tough one for me. As I strive to be more confident and love my body the way it is, I also realize how blessed I am to have a body that functions properly and is healthy. I'm grateful that I can go out and run a couple miles or do a few burpees. I'm grateful that I can go hiking or ride a bike through the city. And I'm grateful that my body aches and gets sore because it means my muscles are working hard! Remember to not only love your body and the way you are, but to also be grateful for it. It does truly amazing things every day!

2.  My Family: Family is definitely something I've taken for granted before...especially when we've all lived so close to each other. But when Shawn and I moved out here to Boston and our closest family member was 1,700 miles away, we realized how much we really missed them all. Don't let a big move be the reason you start appreciating and being grateful for your family. Love every moment and cherish the good times. Life is short!

3.  My Husband: My rock. My better half. My everything. Sorry, this part is a bit long, but I married such an amazing man and I gotta take a second to brag about how thankful I am for him! My life would be so much different without him. I know it sounds cliche or cheesy, but he really does make me a better person and encourages me to be the best version of myself. I truly believe that we are soulmates and he has been so good for me in every way! He's always there to lift my head when I'm discouraged, to build me up when life tries to tear me down, and to be a listening ear when I need one. And we also have a blast together! We're both kind of home-bodies and frugal, but that doesn't stop us from being creative and having fun! Some of the best times have been some of the simplest. Watching YouTube together and laughing until are sides hurt. Building a fort in the living room and watching our favorite childhood movies. Doing a challenging workout together. We've both learned that it doesn't really matter what we're doing as long as we're together!

4. My Heavenly Father: The world is a scary places these days. With so much hate, division, and arguing it's hard to stay positive and see the good in others. I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that finds the littlest and simplest ways to remind me that he hasn't abandoned us and that there is still good in this world! Just when I think I've lost hope in humanity, I'll hear about a cute, feel-good story out of some little town that gives me goose bumps and makes me realize that the majority of people are good. That I can still find good in others. Just when I think Shawn and I won't be able to pay our bills and make it through dental school, a random check from the IRS shows up because we paid too much in taxes. I know whole-heartedly that the Lord loves us, He knows us, He's aware of us, and He will never leave us! Even if we aren't always thankful for Him or don't express our gratitude enough, His love and tender mercies are unconditional!

5.  My Country: Even with the imperfections and the shortcomings of this country, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else! This nation is truly amazing and I'm so grateful and proud to be an American. I'm thankful that brave men and women risk their lives and sacrifice time with their families to protect us and our freedoms. I'm grateful that our Founding Fathers, with the help of God, were able to establish this nation; that they were able to create such a powerful, unwavering foundation that would withstand the perils of today. I'm thankful for a place where everyone is created, viewed, and treated equal. That we have the right to work where we choose, to worship how we may, to vote and elect, and to speak freely. Not many other places can say they have all those rights. No matter how broken we may seem at times, America is strong and I'm so glad that I live here. Never take it for granted!

WAYS TO KEEP GRATITUDE IN OUR HEARTS ALL YEAR ROUND

- Shift your perspective: putting yourself in someone else's shoes is one of the best ways to count your own blessings. When you see how little some people have, you realize how much you truly have.

- Keep a gratitude journal: once a day, write down something you are grateful for. At the end of the year, you will have a compiled list and it will be easy to look back and see how blessed your life has been.

- Say thank you: at least once a week, acknowledge what someone in your life has done for you and tell them you're grateful for that.

- Serve others: serving someone else is almost as rewarding for the server as it is for the person being served. Random acts of kindness are some of the simplest ways to show others that we love them, but also to put your own life into perspective and realize the blessings you have. Even if I was upset, grumpy, or not thrilled about a service project, I always left feeling great! You can't serve someone else and be unhappy at the same time...it's impossible haha!

Oh and my jacket is from Primark!!! I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday! Remember to be grateful and count your blessings. Life is good!