Tag Archives: thankful

Celebrating Valentine’s Day or Just Another Consumer Holiday?

“…celebrating is one of the best ways to pause and remember this one, wild, precious and amazing life we have been given.”

IMG 0332 300x180 Celebrating Valentine’s Day or Just Another Consumer Holiday?

I know I have mentioned more than once that Thom and I have been married for 35 years.  That’s a lot of Valentine’s Days!  And in spite of what you may be thinking, Thom has always resisted them.  His argument is that Valentine’s Day—along with several other holidays throughout the year, were all manufactured to manipulate us into buying stuff.  I, on the other hand, see those very same holidays as a great excuse to CELEBRATE something special.  So keeping in mind that a major focus of SMART Living is to provide clarity and awareness about all things that affect our lives on a daily basis, how do you view celebrating holidays? Continue reading

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The SMART Living 30-Day Gratitude Challenge 2012–30 Days of Quotes and Gratitude

Here are all quotes used during our SMART Living 30-Day Gratitude Challenge.   For a quick pick-me-up or to remember that we all have lots to be grateful for, just read through these every now and then. 

November 30           “We think we have to do something to be grateful or something has to be done in order for us to be grateful, when gratitude is a state of being.”  ~ Iyanla Vanzant  Continue reading

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Ignoring the Black Dots and Seeing The Good

Black Dot Water Fountain 300x225 Ignoring the Black Dots and Seeing The Good

What do you see when you look at this photo?

This last weekend Thom, Kloe and I took a short trip down to Baja Mexico to visit friends.  We hadn’t been to Rosarito in years and we hadn’t visited our longtime friends Larry & Jose since they bought their stunning condo perched on the rugged coastline.  We had a wonderful time—lots of great conversation, plenty of laughter, tasty food, soaking in the hot tub, playtime with Kloe and her new dog girlfriend Tasha, a couple of bottles of nice wine and even a sip or two of the “new” almond tequila.  But toward the end of the mini-vacation we hit a slight “hitch.”  Luckily, we both quickly remembered that we “get to make it up” and decided to ignore the hitch and focus on the good.   After all, did we want to remember the fun from the amazing previous four days, or the small “black dot” towards the end?  And as usual, what we chose to focus on and remember, is up to us. Continue reading

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If You’re Going to Give—Give SMART—SMART Living Recommends Three Such Sites 12/12/11

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

give photo 236x300 If You’re Going to Give—Give SMART—SMART Living Recommends Three Such Sites 12/12/11Our last SMART Living 365 blog post suggested that we all reconsider or “rethink” the Christmas gifting process in a way that enriches both the giver and the receiver.  When any of us routinely buys gifts without having a clue what the other needs or wants, we are like sheep falling over a cliff just because those in front of us fall first.  If we want our gift to truly enrich someone we care for and love, it is SMART of us to stay awake, aware and conscious to their needs and motivations before making a purchase.  But what about a gift or donation to a charity?  What about if we want to donate money to a worthy cause in someone’s name?   How do we know what is “worthy” and where do we go to find out?   There are at least three websites that you might want to consider before making your decision.  They are:

GiveWell

Charity Navigator

Philanthropedia

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SMART Living 365 Recommends You Stay Grateful By Visiting Gratefulness.org

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

lit Candle1 300x200 SMART Living 365 Recommends You Stay Grateful By Visiting Gratefulness.org          One of the core elements of living SMART 365 is practicing a thankful awareness on a daily basis.  That’s why this week we are recommending Gratefulness.org.  This website offers several touching and free ways to practice gratitude as well as education and support for anyone who wants to use gratitude as a regular spiritual practice.    Just one of the goals of the website and organization is “to promote public awareness of gratefulness as a power for change in areas such as ecology, religious tolerance and intergenerational respect.”   Surely, such a focus on gratitude can benefit each and every one of us every single day. Continue reading

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SMART Living 365 Recommends Your Local Public Library—For Free!

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

Books2 225x300 SMART Living 365 Recommends Your Local Public Library—For Free!       During the last couple of months SMART Living 365 has made it a habit to recommend a website or resource that brings richness to our lives.  Most of our recommendations have been online businesses or charities—but today’s recommendation is something many people (at least those that live in the US) take for granted.  And while some of our readers are international, and not every US citizen lives in an area with a large library system, we still want to point out the amazing benefits many of us can regularly use to increase the quality of our lives—and it’s mostly free!  That resource is your local public library.

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Monday’s Website of The Week 10/3/11—Thanks to Gary for Thx,thx,thx!

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

being thankful card 150x150 Monday’s Website of The Week 10/3/11—Thanks to Gary for Thx,thx,thx!A great big “thank you” to our friend and SMART Living 365 reader Gary for his recommendation of the thxthxthx.com website.   I’d read about it before but until Gary sent me the link, I never took the time actually check it out.  In case you don’t recall, each week we want to reach out across the web and share good and inspiring websites with one another and thanks to Gary this is a short, but very sweet website that helps keep things in perspective.  That’s right—thxthxthx is all about gratitude—and remembering how everything works together for good.

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Why We Need Facebook To Make Changes; Or The Value of Mixing Things Up

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

We are all creatures of habit.  Don’t believe me?  This morning Facebook came out with yet another change to its layout and the comments are:  “If I was Facebook’s mom I would ground it for a month.”   Or:  “HATE: the new Facebook Newsfeed,” or  “How do you like the new Facebook layout?  So far I can’t stand it! Boooo Hiss Facebook, Boooo Hiss!”  Unfortunately, while habits can make our lives easier in many cases, it is also a recipe for a life of boredom, routine and a diminished creativity and brain capacity.  When you know the facts, you might consider that Facebook is doing us all a favor.    

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A Simple Prescription For Happiness–Get a Dog!


T K K1 150x150 A Simple Prescription For Happiness  Get a Dog!

Kathy, Kloe & Thom

Just over six months ago Thom and I added a new family member to our household—a puppy we named Kloe. To be sure, a puppy ads havoc, lots more work and a great deal of responsibility to anyone who cares for them.  However, the increased value and joy Kloe brings to our lives more than compensates for any inconvenience.  Not only does Kloe make us laugh on a daily basis, there is plenty of proof that she is also good for our health.

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Don’t Take Anything For Granted & Share Your Love—365!

Happy SMART Day Everyone!

2011 06 18 19 42 26 339 150x150 Don’t Take Anything For Granted & Share Your Love—365!

Kloe

This week Thom and I experienced a dramatic reminder of this truth—don’t take anyone for granted and share your love with those you love every single day.   While most all of us would agree that this is an important part of SMART Living, everyone—me included, can use a reminder

Our “lesson” in this regard came this past Monday evening.  There was nothing special about the day—nothing bad, but nothing amazingly wonderful either.   We’d finished dinner and Thom was in the kitchen doing dishes.  I could see that the sun had finally set so I knew it would be getting cooler outside.  Our small mixed-terrier dog Kloe was watching me closely to see if it was time to go to the dog park before dark.  But right before we did, Thom decided to take the garbage out to the trash bins with Kloe trailing behind. Continue reading

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