Gratitude is a key ingredient of good health. Each day we can find something to be grateful for, especially when we know all those who have significant life challenges or health challenges…each day that we can wake up, see, hear, get out of a nice warm bed and walk, breath fresh air, have a family that we love and share a good meal for breakfast is a gift. This month of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my daughter, and good, wholesome, nutritious food to eat. I share this picture of today’s lunch. A tuna fish salad sandwich. I combined the tuna fish with cut up Gingergold apples and craisins mixed with some dijon mustard. I spread this on a whole wheat tortilla wrap and sprinkled fresh chopped kale. I have also found my Vitamix is a great way for bringing more wholesome, nutrient dense foods into my diet. It is so incredibly helpful to make quick easy meals or drinks especially for busy moms. Each morning now I put a few ounces of water into my vitamix and throw in a whole grapefruit-(I only peel the skin off) and the Vitamix blends it into delicious fresh grapefruit juice in a matter of about 30 seconds. This one is obviously from a pink grapefruit and it was so incredibly delicious and satisfying!! There are so many healthful recipes out there but I thought I would start November by sharing this one with you! This will add really wonderful antioxidants and phytochemicals to your body to give it the best chance for staying healthy and well nourished for the long term…Bon Appetit!
Have you ever kept a Gratitude Journal?…it can be a Healing Tool…well this month with a Focus on Gratitude, I am starting a Mini-Gratitude Journal and I encourage you to do the same….there are so many benefits for healing and a great gift to give to our children!!
- Nov 1: I am grateful for WONDERFUL AND THOUGHTFUL COLLEAGUES who offered their support to help me with my patients especially Claire S. and John R.
- Nov 2: I am grateful for the support of my Self-Attunement Meditation Teacher who has taught me how to connect with my authentic self!! (It has taken me years to do this!!)
- Nov 3: I am grateful for the colorful foliage and the ability to see it!
- Nov 4: So grateful for my wonderful mentor, Dr Howard Koh, who has been a Champion of Cancer Prevention for 30+ years and has helped guide me with his wisdom about Cancer Prevention along the way.
- Nov 5: Grateful to my generous and thoughtful daughter who made me a very delicious and wholesome smoothie for breakfast this morning…she did it without even asking!
- Nov 6: Feeling grateful for supportive colleagues on a busy oncology inpatient unit.
- Nov 7: Feeling grateful for an easy commute to work.
- Nov 8: Feeling grateful for smart and dedicated colleagues who helped me with a busy assignment especially Catherine, Stephanie and Colleen!
- Nov 9: So grateful for a Magnificent poem Love After Love by Derek Wolcott.
- Nov 10: Feeling lucky that I’m still young enough to enjoy going out to dinner and to have fun at the Lila/Jarle Bernhoft and Allen Stone concert with a dear friend.
- Nov 11: Feeling Gratitude towards all the Veterans who have dedicated their lives to giving us a safer, better and more free life.
- Nov 12: Feeling happy to know that almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, filberts [hazelnuts], macadamias, pine nuts, and pistachios have been found to be beneficial for heart health (Del Gobbo LC, Falk MC, Feldman R, Lewis K, Mozaffarian D. Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61controlled intervention trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2015 Nov 11).
- Nov 13: Sending out positive thoughts to all the first responders in Paris during the terrorist attacks there today.
- Nov 14: Feeling grateful that my daughter chose to be part of the Dreamfar Marathon Training Team with her high school…Go Kels!!
- Nov 15: Grateful for a beautiful sunset to enjoy.
- Nov 16: Grateful to a good friend, Anne, who joined me for a Community Educ talk about how we can be a Force for Good in the world.
- Nov 17: Grateful for the new movie, In Defense of Food, based on Michael Pollan’s book!
- Nov 18: Feeling so fortunate that I was able to spend some time in Maine today, be outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous sunshine!
- Nov 19: Blessed with hearing to enjoy the bird songs.
- Nov 20: Sick today, but thankful it’s only the flu and not anything serious.
- Nov 21: Enjoying Journal Club at work today.
- Nov 22: Remembering JFK today and Grateful to have grown up with inspiring leaders like JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. who shared their wisdom with quotes like, “Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country”.
- Nov 23: Glad to have a day off to rest.
- Nov 24: Thankful for the support I receive from my community.
- Nov 25: Feeling lucky to have time to meditate so I can rejuvenate my energy before the long work weekend.
- Nov 26: Thanksgiving Day! What a memorable Thanksgiving meal with all my co-workers..having fun while working!!
- Nov 27: Blessed to be able to walk to and from work-de-stressing before work.
- Nov 28: Thankful for parking at work.
- Nov 29: Glad to be back home again.
- Nov 30 Grateful for a Meditation Teacher who challenges me to practice Meditation Whole-Heartedly, Whole-Mindfully and Whole-Soulfully!