Daily Gratitude: Merry Christmas everyone! I hope Santa treated you kindly. Remember that thoughts can change your life and there’s no better way to start a new year than by becoming a new person. Hopefully we’ll talk more about that on “Talking with Terrie”! I think this quote can help all people today – those that are happy and satisfied: those that are sad or who have had losses; and those who are praying that 2025 will be “their” year. I think there’s a little bit of each of these in every one of us. Be gentle today (and always). Be kind today (and always). Refrain from judgment today (and always). Help people. Let someone use you to help them stand up. Share your hope and your courage. Be the person you really are, not that one that you have “become” because of society. Let’s all join forces, forces of love and good, and let’s head into 2025 as one! I love all of you and thank you for being in my life.

Daily Gratitude: Happy/Merry Christmas eve. I felt this was appropriate since the roads and stores are jam-packed with people doing their last minute Christmas shopping. Somewhere along the way, though, we seem to have lost sight of what Christmas is about. I’m not really religious. That adjective got stripped from me when I was rejected from medical school the first time. What was installed in place, however, was an extremely spiritual study and a deeper understanding of the complexities of life. Thus, this is not a post about the religious specifics of the day. I feel Christmas represents a birth – another chance for being and doing better. If you combine the idea of this birth and the concept of the New Year being another form of “newness”, you can see we have all sorts of possibilities to make changes in our lives. This is one reason I want to be brave and do the “Talking with Terrie” daily calls. What a great way for us to have more communion and grow with each other. This is the “gift” i can give to whomever desires it. It won’t be for everyone but maybe at least one person will benefit from it. What “gifts” of this sort are you giving this year? Take a minute and think back over the years and see if you can recall the best gifts you’ve ever received. I would imagine there are fewer material ones than there are substantive ones – expressions of love, offers to help, someone letting you know they care and are there for you, etc. After all, how many blenders can you use. Do you really “need” something…or would you rather have someone? I would rather have someone. Give the gift of love tomorrow!

Daily Gratitude: You probably know by now that I’m a fan of paying attention to the little things in life, in a project, or in anything (including relationships). This is why I am always talking about “chunking” things down. A more frequently used cliche is “how do you eat an elephant?” “One bite at a time!” Think of doing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. You are diligent and persistent. But now you’re feeling a bit tired and it’s time for bed. You pick up a piece that’s the sky blue color of at least 300 other pieces. This piece looks as if it fits so you just push it a bit harder than usual. Then you move on. After a few hundred more pieces you realize that one of them is not in the correct place. You’ve forgotten about that day you were tired since it was last week. Now what? What do you do? It’s not going to be finished. That one piece that you essentially blew off has ruined the entire puzzle. Seems simple doesn’t it? Can you think of times in your life when you’ve thought that this one little thing won’t matter? Have you gotten away with it? And yes I consider it getting “away with it” because if you know you’re taking the easy way out because it “might not matter”, you’re putting the entire project or thing at risk. What if you were the recipient of that “thing”? What if it were your vehicle and that one thing was a missing bolt or something that could cause a safety issue for you? Think about that next time you are ignoring the little things.