Much to be thankful for...

So around this time I often meet super stressed women who are trying to be their own personal Martha Stewart and put on the most amazing meal possible.  The magazines don't help with their helpful suggestions of the perfect pie crust.  It's very easy to get lost in the preparation and be sweaty and exhausted on the day! 

I love traditional meals and can fully understand why you need to have five sides,  each one with it's own special twists.  I love a beautifully set table and a part of me even wants seasonal crockery.  But I don't go there,  because the most important thing about this festival is that we sit around a table and say what we are grateful for this year.  What we hope for next year. And if it takes store bought pie and plain brussel sprouts in order for me to sit at the table and be present,  then that's what I will do. 

So this Thanksgiving I wish you all to be present with the people who you love,  who love you.  And may you laugh at the table and share what makes you thankful. 

Amongst other things,  I'm thankful that my friend has volunteered to do the turkey,  and I only have to bring sides this year!  

Future you

I often say that we should live a life where future you will be grateful to present you.  This can be for huge things - future you is so gratified that you slogged through working fulltime and studying and that degree has really changed your life for the better. 

But it can also be for smaller things - future you is delighted that past you cleaned the kitchen! 

Today,  present me is so happy with past me,  who tidied her bedroom and changed her sheets.  I love having a clean bedroom so much.  So I'm grateful to myself for the efforts of this morning and looking forward to sleeping well tonight. 

Live in a way so that future you is happy with your contributions to your life.  

Your Future Self

Sometimes I don't want to do something minor,  and I make myself do it by telling myself that my future self will be grateful for this.  My future self,  busy in the morning,  will be glad that the dishwasher is empty and she can just load new coffee cups into it, so I'll empty it before I go to bed.  My future self,  coming home from work,  will be grateful that the coffee cups were put away and not making the apartment smell of stale coffee all day.  Those sorts of discussions.

My future self is also sometimes happy about big things.  When you spend all those years studying for a degree,  when you take that second job so you can save a deposit.  When you sacrifice now to get rewards later,  then that's a big thank you to past self,  for being so organized for future self. 

In tarot,  we look at how the past affects the present,  and colors the future.  We can't do much about changing the past,  but we can do a lot about how much we let it color the future.  And we can do things that help out our future selves,  whether it be tidying up or eating better or the big things - letting compound interest work it's magic on our savings,  or walking away from toxic/destructive situations. 

So think about your future self,  and how to best support them,  when acting in the present.  And your future self will be grateful. 

Gratitude

I love Thanksgiving, or at least what the holiday has evolved into for me.  A day to share food with friends and family,  to be consciously grateful.  What better day could you have?  A day that you don't have to be anxious about buying or receiving presents.  I really don't like how sales are encroaching on Thanksgiving,  but I'm lucky - there is nothing I so need that I have to rush up from the table to stand in a draughty line and wait for it.  I would much rather be eating pie!  So I'm grateful for that too.  

My blessing for everyone is as it always is - may we have love and laughter in our homes, may we give the kindness we would like to receive,  may we count our blessings...

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, however you celebrate!

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving, it's my favorite festival - it's about food, friendship and family and being grateful for all that we have. How wonderful that we all take the same 2 days to think about these things!  I have to say I am distressed about the creeping impact that the Friday sales are now having. I wish they didn't start on Thursday night.

But I wish even more, that even if they did start earlier, we would know enough not to go to them. That we truly understood that what is already in the room is more valuable than any stuff you could put in it; that's it people not products that matter.

Lauren Alexander

Of course, if we don't like the people we are with, it's easy to give into our Hunter Gatherer cravings,  and go shopping!  I would strongly encourage people to do the harder work of a) either finding things to like more about the people already in our lives or b) finding new people who we do genuinely like and put them in our lives.

I wish everyone a delicious Thanksgiving and lots of laughter and happy traditions.  To understand that happiness is not getting everything you want, but being truly content with what you have – that is a lifelong blessing I wish for all of us.

Gratitude

This month,  as the warmth has settled in, I've been blessed.  The phone has rung often, people have made bookings and everyone has shown up on time!  I've been given as a 'gift' for birthdays and people are asking me if I can read for the their mothers for mother's day.    And I get to meet so many exceptional people.  I really love it and I'm grateful for it. Thank you.