an attitude of gratitude

gratitude is amazing.

it’s easy to lose sight of too. whenever i find myself wrapped up in negative thoughts, feelings, and actions, i pause, breathe deeply, and cultivate gratitude. simply recognizing your wild abundance quickly and easily lifts the spirits. it kind of blows my mind. and you wonder why cafe gratitude is one of my favorite spots to visit

a few weeks ago my therapist asked me to cultivate gratitude daily. she asked me to list three things i am grateful for at the end of the day. i’m going to extend the homework assignment to you.

tell me three things you are grateful for today, in this very moment.

i’ll go first.

today i am grateful for my legs because they carried me through a beautiful early morning run.

today i am grateful for the sunshine because it warms my heart and soul.

today i am grateful for the friendships in my life, as they’ve carried me through my darkest days.

ah. definitely beaming over here.

now you. go!

namaste

zoe

bootylicious

did you know bootylicious was added to the dictionary a few years ago?

no really, i’m serious. official dictionary.com definition:

bootylicious (ˌbuːtɪˈlɪʃəs)

— adj
slang sexually attractive, esp with curvaceous buttocks

thanks beyonce.

but i’m not talking about beyonce today. my posts as of late have treaded on the deeper, more reflective side. today i’m taking the time to balance it out some. call me conceited if you want, but i already know i’m pretty bootylicious (get ready for a post about this in the future…!). however, two other incredibly bootylicious ladies gifted me an award for it!

the award requires me to answer some questions so, here we go. i don’t think you’re ready for this jelly! (i know, i’m awful ).

name three things laying next to you right now.
my phone, my wallet, and my baby blanket.

i am currently in bed so, please excuse the randomness. and yes, my baby blanket has been reduced to a pile of strings! poor baby.

name two foods you can’t live without.
carrots and hummus. i said it yesterday: “if i were on an island and only allowed two foods for the rest of my life, it would be hummus and carrots.”

but, can i just pause a second and be all whiney? can i make this two things i couldn’t live without? or two people? or both? kind of tired of the food focus…there’s a lot more to life, right?

two things i couldn’t live without:
my journal. enough said.
mascara. i don’t do the whole make up shebang but i love mascara. love.
(my moccasins are a close third, considering i wear them every day…!)

two people i couldn’t live without:
candace. she’s my best friend, my pillar of support, my light house during the storms (and any other cheesy type of comparison you care to think of!). she’s constantly pushing me to see the good in myself and the positivity in life.

(from my birthday! don’t ask hah)

and, of course, my parents. because, well, they’re pretty damn amazing. i guess that’s three people, isn’t it? oh well !

name one thing you did today.
well, considering i only just woke up and i’m still in my bed dressed in my pjs, the onethingididtoday isn’t very interesting. tasty, yes, but not very interesting. i ate breakfast!

(gluten free bread topped with almond butter, chia seeds, banana, cinnamon and chocolate chips on one side and peanut butter, ground flax, one date, some left over nanner, and chocolate chips on the other side! variety is the spice of life, right?)

since that’s not very interesting, i’ll tell you something about yesterday that was interesting! (i’m so good at sticking to the rules of this award. dang.)

i spent the day with a really awesome friend and went to cafe gratitude for dinner on a whim! only to find they changed their menu (pretty drastically) about two weeks ago. threw me for a loop! all the choices were so overwhelming i opted for a salad. i’m boring. but look what they added to the menu (and what my friend ate!)

a “BLT” (remember, this place is raw and vegan!) sandwich. the “bacon” was actually coconut meat! it was marinaded in something or other. and that something or other was delicious because this sandwich kind of rocked! (i stole a bite !)

much more interesting, right? no? okay.

the award also asks for me to award this to some other equally as awesome bootylicious people. so imma throw this at hannah, lisa and mara. cause you all are just too bootylicious for me to handle !

have a wonderful thursday! as for me, today is MY LAST SHIFT AT STARBUCKS. i happen to be closing so i work from 7-11:30 pm. a bit of a weird time but i am closing with friends. what more can i ask for in a last shift?

namaste

zoe

i didn’t discover curves; i only uncovered them.
–mae west

what makes you smile?

interesting day, loves.

but don’t fear! this post is not negative! it just looks that way

i will admit though: this morning started out kind of wonky.

after my 8.5 half shift yesterday (death) i drove home and promptly snuggled up under my covers at 7 pm. it was still light out. what started out with good intentions ended up with me tossing around with too many thoughts and falling asleep around nine. despite the weird sleep, i felt pretty refreshed today despite waking before the sun this morning. ah, the life of a starbucks barista! only, instead of waking up to the alarm i set for 3:25 am, i woke up at 1:36 am (precisely) and flopped around in bed till about ten after three.

work itself? not pleasant. a co-worker of mine has taken it upon herself to be a bit of an ice queen to me for no reason. i basically ignore it but it still makes for a tense environment i don’t like spending much time in. luckily i was off by 8:45 and on my way towards the rest of the day! which definitely turned around in mood. definitely.

the day included a bitchin’ 4.5 mile (ish? i accidently stopped the treadmill and lost track! i think it was closer to five miles) run complete with twenty some odd minutes of killer intervals. loved every sweaty second. no lie. after a nice cool down and some yoga/strength training moves, i chilled out on the couch for about an hourish.

the best part of the day, and the point of this post, (i swear, there is one) was lunch. i took myself on a solo date to cafe gratitude and sat at the bar with my journal and my happy self. writing and good food and good vibes? three things i love and three things to create a happy zoe.

each day cafe gratitude presents a question to their diners. todays caught my attention:

what makes you smile?

being in the contemplative mood that i am in today (okay, who am i kidding, most days) i mulled over the question for a while. what makes me smile?

today, right now, i have a lot to smile about:

1) i kicked ass and took names on my run earlier. i felt strong and loved, loved, loved how accomplished and content i felt after my work out. i’m smiling because i’ve found a happy balance with exercise this past week. i’m moving how i want to move. i’m listening to my body and its’ requests. i’m feeling good.

2) i got to eat at cafe gratitude! good food, happy tummy. but really, i’m smiling because this past week my food choices have been ones which make my body happy. i’ve avoided binges and have taken care to really chew and savor my food. it makes a world of difference in feeling both sated and satisfied in body and mind.

3) my friends and my family. they’re always there and i’m smiling because i’m really starting to see and believe this. i’m starting to see i’m never alone.

4) and i’m smiling because awesomely awesome lori (fo’ reals folks! lady’s pretty badass!) of what runs lori, gifted me the ‘one lovely blog award’. thanks lori! you’re so sweet !

apparantly, this award means you…
link and thank the blogger who awarded you
copy-and-paste (or download and upload) the award into your own blog post–a teacup of roses!
share seven things about yourself
nominate up to fifteen other great bloggers
comment on their blogs to let them know to come pick up their prize

all right well…here are my seven things!
1) i consistently have a song stuck in my head. i love to sing (in the shower, in the car, at work, um…anywhere) and i love to dance and usually do, no matter where i am!
2) i basically am constantly writing something or other in my head. if i see something pretty i try to shape it into words.
3) ‘zoe’ means life in greek! i think it’s very fitting
4) i’m greek!
5) when i was little i had a big ol’ red birthmark right in between my eyebrows. strangely enough, no one ever teased me and it faded all on its own by middle school.
6) in addition to the ‘let it be’ tattoo on my wrist, i have a little outline of a heart on top of my right foot.
7) my middle name starts with an ‘a’ but no one ever guesses it because it’s so random !

now i’m going to tag a few people!
kelsey!
kara!
emilie!
mara!
kate!

whew! what a post! i’m off to eat a bit of something, do a bit of stetchy yoga, shower it up and then go to sleep. before the sun. again. because i open tomorrow. again. sarcasm? never

what makes YOU smile ?

namaste

zoe

“you suppose you are the trouble, but you are the cure. you suppose that you are the lock on the door, but you are the key that opens it. it’s too bad that you want to be someone else, you don’t see your own face, your own beauty, yet, no face is more beautiful than yours.” –rumi