got gratitude?

confession time: sometimes i get so stuck in a rut that my days become automatic.  i watch the same shows, drive the same way to all my classes, take all the same classes at the same gyms/studios, eat dinner at the same restaurants and grab take out from my dependable faves.  when i'm in a jam i turn to the same dinners that i've made hundreds of times before and soon i realize that i'm in a rut and have mentally tuned out for a bit. 

ever happen to anyone else?  you just get so settled into a routine that you forget to shake it up? 

now don't get me wrong, routines can offer comfort to those of us that get shaken by change.  but when we initiate a little change into our lives every now and then we can really come to appreciate everything we're doing on a whole new level. 

i thought about this last night.  usually i watch a DVR'ed episode of Dancing with the Stars on tues night so i can fast forward all the commercials, i make a salad or some other quick dinner (because on tuesdays i've been up since 4:45am and am pretty much exhausted by the end of the day), curl up on the couch with said dinner and chill until i can't keep my eyes open anymore.  but i didn't want to get stuck in that rut.  i happen to have had the house to myself, so i poured myself a glass of vino, grabbed some delicious italian takeout complete with salad and wheat bread, lit some incense and tuned into Biggest Loser.  i felt so amazing just from those small changes that after i finished my dinner i put on PJs and relaxed into some deep stretching yoga.  i completely lost track of time and wound up practicing for 45 minutes!  something i never do anymore unless i pre-schedule it!  it was total bliss and i slept like a rock because of it. 

this morning i continued practicing this gratitude by choosing to make myself a healthy smoothie for breakfast but i got creative and tossed in all kinds of spices and fruit.  the outcome was fabulous.  i walked a different route with my pup and enjoyed the warmer spring weather and i played music while i got ready for a new yoga class i'm teaching this afternoon.  i'm feeling amazing and energized and happy with this mindset.  i'm newly aware of things because everything i did on autopilot i'm starting to sit up and take notice of... and then change!  and it doesn't have to be anything drastic.  just enough for me to be present in what i'm doing.  everything can be a treat if we let it.

here's some more things i'm grateful for:
* the time to practice so much yoga and free time to run, workout, do pilates...
* afternoons off to go to the park with my pup
* my hubby and our exciting jaunt out east this weekend
* adding more classes to my schedule and getting to meet new people at new gyms and studios, expanding myself

if a gratitude list isn't something you do, i highly suggest trying it out. journal it, write it on a sticky pad or if you have a TO DO list or agenda book just jot down one or two things each day that you're grateful for.  it really opens your eyes and cultivates a beautiful awareness that we sometimes lose as we're busy living our lives.  we all have responsibilities, we all have jobs and kids and spouses and houses and stuff ... and we owe it to ourselves to pay attention and be present and enjoy everything happening around us -even if it sometimes feels overwhelming.  think of how much stillness and calm you can bring to your life by practicing gratitude and being present. 

what are you grateful for today?