#Gratitude Challenge: Give Thanks for Your Food

via Google Images

Today's task is to give thanks for your food, which is something I often forget to be consciously grateful for. I grew up saying "grace" before meals sporadically. My family said it around the holiday tables, and when I was really into my theological education in school and made my parents stop before we ate to say grace, but it wasn't a regular practice in my home. And, unfortunately, it still isn't.

I will say I am more conscious of how blessed I am to not only have enough food, but to have enough of quality food that nourishes me from the inside out. I am blessed to have so many choices of what, where and when I eat. I may not be eating in five-star restaurants every night or have a personal chef, but I never go hungry, and if I want to enjoy a meal out with friends, I can easily do that.

So, today, I will make a conscious effort to say "grace" before each meal. I'm a fan of the simple "God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for this food. Amen." That is where I will start. Today. Then hopefully tomorrow. And the next day.

In addition to that, I think it's also important to show gratitude in action, so I'm adding that to my list as well. I will thank those who cook for and serve me regularly. I will help feed those who can't feed themselves when I have the opportunity.

How do you express gratitude for your food?

TODAY I am grateful:

1. It's Friday, and it's going to be a beautiful weekend!
2. I get to see an old friend who moved across the country tonight.
3. I woke up healthy.

#Gratitude Challenge: 10 + 3

via Google Images

Today is the official start of my 14-day gratitude challenge. Yesterday, when I set my intention for the next two weeks, I failed to mention that I was participating as part of a virtual group, led by Celes of Personal Excellence (you can click the link to go to her blog and register for the challenge yourself).

Now that the administrative piece is out of the way, today's challenge is to list 10 things for which you are grateful, plus three things for which you are grateful TODAY. Here goes...

1. I am grateful for God's Word, which I try to read daily and upholds me on this crazy path called life.
2. I am grateful for my job. After being out of work for four months, I can appreciate, even on the days I don't want to, what a blessing it is to be able to work and have a decent-paying gig to go to every day.
3. I am grateful for my family, who I know stands behind, beside and in front of me no matter what.
4. I am grateful for my friends. They have really stepped up to the plate recently and shown their generosity and support. I love them for that.
5. I am grateful for my home. I have a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in and all the modern amenities. There are so many who don't even have the first in that list.
6. I am grateful for my adorable dog. He is my companion and my comfort. I will never be alone when he is around.
7. I am grateful for the opportunities hidden in challenges. While I may not see the endgame, I know God does, and He has a plan for me.
8. I am grateful for the summer weather we have had in the Northeast this year. We have had some really hot days and a few rainy ones, but, overall, it has been a beautiful summer.
9. I am grateful for my health. I have been perfectly healthy for the last four months, and it has been wonderful.
10. I am grateful for upcoming trips: Walt Disney World in November, Los Angeles within the year and maybe Miami in the spring.

Bonus three, just for today:

1. I am grateful that my day started the best way possible.
2. I am grateful that I can run tonight -- that I am able, that the weather is perfect, that I have the luxury of time.
3. I am grateful that I know, to the core of my being, that everything happens for a reason.

Coming up with 10 things seemed a bit daunting, but it is amazing to find that once you start practicing gratitude, it flows more and more freely.

What are you thankful for in your life, and in today specifically?

Practicing gratitude

via Personal Excellence

For the rest of the month, I will be focusing this space on gratitude. I am dealing with some emotional situations right now, and I am struggling to find the positive and the happy in my daily life. I truly believe that being grateful, even in the darkness, transforms us -- our lives, our perspective, our situations, our emotions. Therefore, I am determined, over the next two weeks, to focus on the good and be thankful for that.

By being grateful for challenges, I can view them as opportunities to learn a lesson or become a stronger person. I don't believe God is testing us when we go through tough times, I believe God is shaping us into the best versions of ourselves.

I'm not sure how many are out there reading this little blog of mine anymore, but, if you are reading, I invite you to join me. I'll post the gratitude tasks here every day and reflect on my journey. If you are touched, share your own story in the comments or on your own blog (and send me the link!).

Let's make gratitude a permanent state of being.

I am a runner again!

Just in time for National Running Day, I finally feel like a runner again. I ran the longest run of the year today: 3.1 miles in 35:05 (using a three-minute running, one-minute walking interval). It may not have been fast, and it may not have been too pretty, but I fought tiredness, laziness and doubt, and I went out there and did it -- the second run in two days.

They say you never regret a run you did, and today, I agreed with them. I would have regretted not going out for a run on this running holiday, but I sure did not regret getting out there on the pavement.

I should mention I had more than just a holiday to motivate me; I'm running the Boston Athletic Association 10K on the 23rd, just two and a half weeks away! Yes, and I am just now getting up to a three-mile run. I've given up on a PR, and my goal is just to finish strong and enjoy the race. I plan to do two four-mile runs next week and two five-mile runs the week after, of course with one or two easy one or two-mile runs each week in between.

At least I'm starting to feel strong again. I'm glad to be back to running.

Did you have a good National Running Day? Did you run? How do you handle coming back after a long time off from running or working out?

Trust, and you won't be disappointed

So, every day I receive an email in my inbox from "The Universe"; you can substitute whatever you like for "Universe" -- God if you believe in Him, universe if you're more abstract, or even sixth sense if you don't believe in a higher power. I waver between Universe and God, but to me, they both mean the same thing: there is something much larger than me out there, something that cares for me and guides my journey through this crazy life.

Anyway, today's message was:

The more you trust folks, Jennifer, the less they let you down.

Which is not incidentally why I trust you.

Always,

The Universe

(Yes, your name is usually inserted into each message, which only makes it feel more real and true.)

I used to be really good at trusting... until I got burned one time too many. That combined with my need to be in control made me retract my trust in many situations. This message spoke to me today. It reminds me that I need to let go and trust people. I can't assume they are going to disappoint me. In doing that, I also need to let go of my crazy expectations.

This online world of ours is pretty crazy in that way. We let our barrier down; we trust people we have never actually met, and probably never will. Yet, we're oddly comfortable with that. I think it's good practice for real life -- finding that balance between trusting and protecting.

In that vein, I'd like to give a shout-out today to a girl who has earned my trust and become a true blogger friend to me. I have missed a couple of opportunities to meet her in person, but I believe, in the right time and place, we will get around to meeting. Christin, a.k.a. The Southern Wife, is a fellow runner, Christian, dreamer, traveler, PR wonder-woman and wine aficionado. (Wow, never really thought about how much we do have in common!) I read her blog daily, and although I don't comment nearly as much as I should, I keep her in my thoughts. I truly do hope we get to share a glass or two of wine someday while chatting about our lives.

Who has pulled down your barriers and taught you to trust?

Today I ran.

Today I ran. I ran because it's what I know how to do. I ran because it's how I manage my thoughts. I ran because it's how I cope with my feelings. I ran because I miss it. I ran because it feels good. I ran because it hurts. I ran because I can.

Because I have two legs that can run, and that's what they know how to do.

This was my first run in over a month and only my third run in the last four months. I am three days late for the B.A.A. 5k and a day late for all of the memorial runs, but it was the first day I felt ready to run. It wasn't easy, and it hurt just a little bit, but every step reminded me of how grateful I am. And with every step, I thought of how terrifying running was Monday afternoon.

I ran wearing my B.A.A. shirt, and when the chaos clears from Copley Square, I will run the B.A.A. 5k course. Originally, I was running it for me, so I could say I did it, so I could complete the Distance Medley this year. Now, I will run it as my memorial run, and I will finish where it ended for three young people who didn't deserve the fate handed to them.

Today I ran. Because this is the only way I know how to cope.

April 15, 2013

I'm still in shock and speechless, but I feel like I need to say something. I somehow need to get it out and make sense of what happened.

Simply put, my heart is broken. I'm sad. I'm scared. I'm disappointed. I'm offended. I didn't grow up in Boston; I spent my childhood 45 minutes away with occasional day trips to the city. But, I lived there for four years during college, and in this vast, crazy, sometimes senseless world, Boston is my home. It's the city my soul identifies with.

I wanted so badly to be at the marathon yesterday. I knew people running, and I was really excited about the race. I watched the elite runners via live stream at work. After I heard the news, I was immediately worried for everyone I knew that I was in the area, but then all I wanted was to be in my city. I still want to be in my city. I want to walk the streets I know and love and put my arms around them.

I devoured the news coverage yesterday afternoon, but after a couple of hours, I just couldn't listen, watch or read anymore. That numbing feeling I usually get when absorbing the coverage of tragedy never hit me. Each word was a fresh wound. Of course I want to know what happened, but no one knows right now, and I can't stand to see my city in pain.

This feels like 9/11 all over again, except more real. I'll never forget where I was. I'll never forget the helplessness. I'll never forget what it felt like.

A bloodied battlefield on the street I walked every day? It is unimaginable. Yesterday was Patriots Day -- a day commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War, over 200 years ago when those streets were battlefields. The significance is not lost. Boston was a strong city then, and it remains a strong city to this day. We have always held each other up and stood united, and we will continue to do so.

I can't end this post without acknowledging the marathon. I consider myself part of the B.A.A. family since I have run several of their races, and I am so upset that my family was hurt by this senseless act of violence. I am praying and hurting for the victims and their families, but my heart is also with all the runners whose incredible accomplishment, hard work and feat of strength has been completely overshadowed by this horrible event. I know no one cares about whether or not they finished the race, what their time was, or getting that medal, but I want them to know that they are in my thoughts and their strength has not been forgotten. I know many did everything they could to help immediately after what happened, and they made us proud.

Since running the B.A.A. half marathon in October, I have been thinking of tackling the marathon distance, but it scared me. Well, nothing scares me as much as what happened yesterday. I want to run Boston. And, now, after this, I want to run Boston in 2014. I'm not going to qualify, but I'd love to get a charity bib. Even if I can't, I'll run bandit. Every mile will be in memory of yesterday and all those affected.

I can't think of a better reason to run Boston.