Adventures in Candyland

Don’t know about you, but the day after Thanksgiving I made my holiday shopping list. I did NOT however take to the malls on Black Friday - can’t say I’m that motivated - and now I’m glad I didn’t. Today I learned about Nonprofit Shopping Mall. It’s a great site that lets you shop for a cause.

What’s unique about it is the huge brands they’ve partnered with and the full transparency about how much these brands will contribute to the charity of your choice - ranging from 2% to 10%. And with brands like Target, Toys R Us, Gap and iTunes participating, I’m sure to make a dent in my list.

Adds a whole new meaning to holiday giving.

Life’s pretty funny. One day you write about feeling thankful every day and a few day’s later, the concept really comes into play (sorry about the rhyme). I was staying in Malibu this past holiday weekend. Friday was amazing glorious day at the beach - warm and clear. Winter? Not here. I kept thinking that this is why people live in Southern California.

But, this is why people don’t, want to live in SoCal that is. I was awoken out of a dead stupor at 5:30am to the smell of what I thought was the BBQ and the doorbell ringing. I opened the door to a wall of thick, black smoke and the neighbor telling us to gather our things and get out. Shocking to say the least. Another disasterous fire - second time in a month. Here is the view from Kanan as I evacuated.

Sun rising amid the growing plume

Pretty dramatic difference from day to day. Guess there’s a price to pay for beauty. What do you think?

I know Danielle has already offered her thoughts on Thanksgiving and how we should never take the freedoms we have for granted, but of course, I needed to add my two cents on all the other things that shouldn’t be taken for granted as well (shocking, I know).

One of the brands we represent, Soul’s Calling, is all about transferring positive energy from one person to another. The big idea is that we are all connected and whatever we are feeling or whatever is happening to us, we pass that emotion/energy to everyone we come in contact. Not surprisingly, Gina, president of Soul’s Calling, creates aesthetically-pleasing products that literally feature fun, affirming messages directed at its owner and whomever the product and it’s person come in contact with. To create this kind of line, you definitely have to be an eternal optimist, and she truly is. Recently we had her create a list of her: Top Five Easy Ways To Make Yourself Happy. I liked all the ideas, but I was particularly drawn to the idea of the gratitude list.

A gratitude list isn’t a new, unique or innovative idea, in fact, it’s quite simple and basic which is probably why I was so attracted to it. It’s so easy to take life for granted. When something traumatic or painful happens to you, you definitely feel the need to be reflective and thankful for everything you have. But so often, as soon as life resolves itself and moves back into the daily grind, you forget about all that stuff and just live life - not that there is anything wrong with that either - it’s just the way it is.

As a very busy person, with a lot on my plate, I’ve realized I need a method of reconnecting to myself and the others around me that’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. Yes, I would love to do an hour of yoga everyday and I wish I could meditate for 20 minutes each morning, but sometimes its just not possible to fit it in. So, I have made this gratitude list a part of my everyday. I usually write it out right before I go to bed and it calms me down and offers good thoughts as I fall asleep. Then a few days ago, Danielle sent me this link from Tim Ferris’ blog, “Experiments in Lifestyle Design.” In the post, he features a study which likens the kind of gratitude list I’ve been completing each night to a form of meditation resulting in things like increased alterness, enthusiasm, determination, energy, optimism and a whole litney of other great things that typically result from more traditional forms of meditation. Who knew I was helping myself even more than I thought I was!

Obviously, this is quite apropos considering tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, but it’s probably even more apropos every other day of the year when we really do forget to be thankful for all we have, because baby, ain’t those the days when we need to remember it most. Particularly in the ultra fast paced, multi-media, always on, information overloaded world. For five minutes, just forget about all that other stuff and remember what makes this thing we call life so worth it. And believe, me I’m not one of those, “golly gee, isn’t life grand!” types, but when I do this, I realize my cup overfloweth in so many ways.

So c’mon have an attitude towards gratitude. All us busy professionals need to keep things in perspective and it seems to me, this might be one good way to do it.

Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving has turned into a two week affair at my house this year as my son spent one week at school learning about the Native Americans and the next learning about the Pilgrims (he also made a handprint turkey placemat and a cornucopia candleholder and we already ate a Thanksgiving feast at his school). We’ve been reading book after book about the first Thanksgiving, and he can tell you all about the horrible boat ride on the Mayflower, the type of granite that Plymouth Rock is made from and a brief biography of Squanto. And despite the fact that he won’t eat any of it, he can recite the traditional Thanksgiving menu of yams, mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumkin pie as if he’s cooking it this Thursday.

And I know - most kids in the US are doing the exact same things this week, so what’s my point you ask?

Well, its been quite some time since I’ve immersed myself so completely in the history and principles of Thanksgiving…so long in fact, that perhaps a part of me had forgotten what the Pilgrims were celebrating during that first feast. But then I read about their treacherous journey across the Atlantic, the horrible winter they arrived to in New England and how when the Mayflower left to return to England, only half of their original group was still alive and yet no one returned with the ship. I was reminded that in addition to celebrating the first harvest in the new land, what the Pilgrims were truly celebrating was FREEDOM - and more specifically, religious freedom.

Maybe this year I am particularly attuned to the concept of religious freedom as we have been working with an amazing organization in DC that promotes and defends religious freedom around the world. The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is not connected to or funded by any one religion or government, enabling them to work to change policies without outside persuasion. The Institute’s programs work to raise awareness, educate and inspire dialogue so that one day religious freedom will apply to every citizen of the world.

Our work with the Institute reminds me that this Thanksgiving, all Americans should remember that religious freedom is a basic and fundamental human right – it means we have the right to think and believe whatever we want. As Americans, we tend to take this for granted, but we’re lucky to have it. This year, I hope the Institute and other organizations like it, can continue promoting and ensuring not only our religious freedom, but religious freedom for all.

Wishing you a happy and meaningful Thanksgiving.