One year ago today, I was in New York. I was there as part of a business program.

While there I saw the musical, Chicago, toured the city by foot for 4 hours one night (can you say blisters?), visited Central Park, Rockefeller skating rink, and, of course, Times Square surrounded by thousands of others.

On my last day I visited the Empire State building (attached pic) and the 911 Memorial… I still remember how palpable the energy was and how it moved me to tears. I am SO grateful for the experiences and to have seen so much of this incredible city!

To say that a lot has happened in just 12 short months is an understatement! Who knew, right? Just 8 months later Covid hit. New York, one of the hardest hit US states, and the rest of the world changed forever… and keeps changing.

As I reflect, it makes me blatantly aware of two things…

1) Nothing in our outer world is permanent. NOTHING. Everything is transient. And yes, sometimes way more transient (and more drastic) than we’d like!

2) Even though I was super grateful for the experiences, I only recently realized that there could be another layer of gratitude. Like so many of us, I took for granted being able to hop on a plane, visit a new city or be amongst hundreds or even thousands of other people. I never gave it a second thought. (Sort of like the sun rising, the air we breathe, the roof over our heads… you get the picture.)

I believe what we are ALL going through is a time of awakening…

To adjust to this ‘new world’, we need to also adjust our gratitude. I feel it’s important we don’t fall prey to thinking there is less to be grateful for! (If you follow any of Dr. David Hawkins work and his map of consciousness, gratitude is calibrated at 510, where fear is 100. How we want to feel is a choice.)

For me, I have newfound gratitude… I am more grateful than ever for:

– My health
– My walks, hikes, runs, especially near the water
– The silly times with my girls (who are home safe and sound with me)
– Our little 6lb fur baby who teaches us unconditional love every day
– My ability to love, even it’s from 6 feet away (like my amazing 85 year old dad)
– The freedom to create my life on my terms
– My home and the food we make (even though I’m not the best cook lol)
– My tenacity and zest for transformation and those who have worked with me
– My audible collection 🙂
– All the incredible people I have met from all over the world in the last 4 months thanks to technology

I’m also grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts here with you… xo

What newfound gratitude do you have that you might have previously taken for granted?