A Day for Gratitude

I thought about doing another Thanksgiving Day post with a recipe for a healthy side dish full of vegetables and good fats, but I decided that is not what I wanted to focus on. Do I want you to eat more vegetables (especially during the holiday season)? Of course! But you can find those recipes anywhere if you go look for them. Trust me, they are out there, everywhere, if you want to find them.

No. Today, I want to focus on what I am thankful for. I want a spirit of gratitude. I want to focus on the little things that end up being the big things of life.

I am grateful for my little family unit. I have such a supportive husband, without whom I would not be the woman I am, today. I love my son, who has such a great sense of humor and sense of self. He is his own person and doesn’t apologize for it. I am not a perfect mom or wife, but my family stands by me no matter what. I love our camping trips, playing board games at the table, or the occasional times we make dinner together. I love that my son’s idea of making dinner is giving us toast and applesauce. I am humbled by my incredible in-laws. They are some of the most loving, gracious, giving people, and I am thankful they accepted me into their circle. My family is always number one.

When I look back to where I was a year ago compared to where I am now, I am so grateful for failing forward. This endeavor of creating PIVOT and trying to spread the word about Functional Medicine, Food as Medicine, Gut Health, Micronutrient Depletions…it has been hard. I am so grateful that I can learn about an interesting subject, then turn around and share that information on a global platform. Sometimes I create something that resonates with a lot of people, most of the time, though I feel like I’m speaking to myself. I have not been as successful as I thought I was going to be. However, I know that some people are listening. My message is getting out there and I am making a difference, and I have truly helped people regain control of their health.

Many of those I have helped are my new coworkers. So, I am very grateful that I was able to pivot from corporate retail to an independent pharmacy. The transition also hasn’t been perfect, but I have been given the opportunity to develop more clinical programs and reach more people. Serving this new population is an honor and a privilege, and I would not be the pharmacist I am without the incredible technicians and customer service representatives that keep the pharmacy running.

There are some days I wish I could win the lottery, get an RV, and get away from everything and everyone. But I have been on this planet long enough to know that I would still be taking most of my undesirable baggage with me. Life is a journey, and we must train ourselves to be grateful in the little moments that come along. To find the joy in a seed that sprouts or a bird that builds a nest on your front porch, amusement in the squirrels using the trees as speedway or your child bringing you a dinner of toast and applesauce. This is the stuff of life. It doesn’t matter if your neighbor has a brand-new car or a coworker took their third vacation this year. What do you have in your life that brings you joy? What are the little moments and things you can be grateful for?

Am I perfect? Heck, no! I’m just making choices every day and hoping they are the right ones. I’m making mistakes like everyone else and learning how to do things better next time.

I make the choice every day to PIVOT to functional health and wellness – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Today, I choose to be thankful, and I hope you do, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!