Gratitude

grat·i·tude

noun

1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is already here. I love this season - a season of thankfulness, gratitude, love. My husband pokes fun at me because I'm THAT person that makes our family go around the table and share what we're thankful for. Every. Single. Thanksgiving. If you're dining with our family, you better come ready to share your gratitude. The sharing time never goes without a few laughs, tears (usually from me) & undeniable joy. 

Gratitude is a staple practice for our family. Starting with my sweet Mom. Last year she gifted my sisters and I our very first 'Gratitude Journals' with specific instructions: each day, write down three things you're grateful for. No matter what kind of day you had, take the time, write down your gratitude. You will always feel better afterwards.

We all know, Mom is always right. But she really hit the nail on the head with this one. She consistently encourages and teaches us to practice gratitude all year, instead of just on Thanksgiving. With that in mind, I want to share some of the things that I've listed throughout the year. Looking back at my lists, some of these things seem so small, insignificant, funny even. That's the beauty in gratitude though. Who says what you can and can't be grateful for? 

I'm Grateful For:

- My sweet husband // We're coming up on 1 year of marriage and my goodness that is CRAZY! { I have a fun post coming up on our first year of marriage - stay tuned! }

- Family // My parents and sisters, who are all truly my best friends. Not everyone has the type of family dynamic as ours. This is a blessing!

- Girlfriends // My people. All who I've been linked to for most of my life and/or most of my adult life. I'm incredibly grateful I've found my people - you hold on tight to that. 

- Our new pup, Wrigley // He has taught me so many humbling lessons. He's still teaching me many more. 

- Coffee // However trivial this may be, it's real. 

- The cold // This is a weird one - but I really am thankful for the cold. It brings people together. It's intimate, it forces more quality time spent connecting over {Irish} coffees, meals, etc. Time spent with loved ones watching the snow fall, sitting by the fire. I love the cold for this reason.

- Sunrises // I found a quote earlier this year: 'sunsets taught me that sometimes beauty only lasts for a few moments - but sunrises showed me that all it takes is patience to experience it all over again.' Wow, did that every change my perspective. 

- My clients // I love working in the business of people. I'm incredibly humbled to work in a career that continuously introduces me to new people that I get to build relationships and even friendships with. How cool is that?

- Books // To constantly have an opportunity to get lost in another world or learn a new lesson... this is never something I take for granted. 

- Small acts of kindness // Snail mail. Flowers on a friends doorstep. Thinking of you texts. 

- Writing // It's freeing. Therapeutic. Humbling to share my voice. 

I obviously didn't share my year's worth of gratitude - but these are some highlights. I encourage everyone to start a gratitude journal. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to find even just ONE thing you're grateful for. Even on the worst days. I'm continuously working on my gratitude & look forward to a life spent practicing it. 

Have a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. 

XO, 

Molly 

Nearly 365 days later...

You would be baffled if I told you the number of times I sat down to "create my blog" given that we are nearly at a year later and I am just now hitting PUBLISH. Blogging has always been one of those "that would be fun" ideas I've had. I love to write, I definitely need a creative outlet, I like having ownership of something that's wholeheartedly mine. So why not, right? It sounded like a good idea until I actually sat down to work on it. There was always something more important - cleaning the house, catching up with friends, finishing that book, color-coordinating my closet (yes, this is more important). But eventually, I ran out of excuses...and here we are. 

I'm incredibly grateful for my family and friends who have heard me talk about this infamous blog for the past year without seeing ANY progress or promise that I would actually follow through.

{Side note: this is how you know you have found your people in life. Their questions about my blog were always matched with: "Oh yeah! I'm getting there! Building the site and it's going really well! I'll have something SOON." Only to never have gained any ground. Yet, these people consistently supported the idea and cheered me on. Thank you, you know who you are.} <----- I sound like I'm accepting an Academy Award. 

Anyway, I figured a good first post would be to explain the idea behind this blog & its name. 'The Pretty Now' is a testament to myself. It's my personal pursuit of a pretty mind, heart, body & soul. It's consciously working every day to have kinder thoughts, kinder words, kinder actions, purposeful connections with friends and strangers alike. A commitment to strengthening my body, my mind & pursuing only the things that enrich my soul. 

I'll be using this space to share my NOW. What's in my heart. What's in the oven. What's in my shopping cart. My latest revelations during yoga (& believe me, there are A LOT of them). Lessons learned in marriage. It truly is a space for me. I always said I didn't care if my mom was the only one who read it, as long as I can write and create, I'll be happy. 

So: thanks, Mom, for reading. I love you. 

& if there's anyone else reading along - Hello & Thank you! I hope to connect with you in some way through a post now or in the future. 

XO, 

Molly 

{PS: Bear with me as I work out the kinks of managing a website, Tech is NOT my friend.}