Long Distance

As much as distance can make people grow apart, it can equally make their bond grow stronger. I can really say that some of my most valuable friendships wouldn't be possible if they didn't have to stand the test of long distance. Miles and kilometres between put a friendship to the truest test, helping you see another person under a whole new light. It takes some wholehearted dedication to keep such friendship alive, and if friends go all the way it sure means something.

We All Deserve to Hurt Sometimes

Just one of the recent observations - we all really do deserve to hurt sometimes. Because everything you do comes back to you, I've really seen it working in the past 10 months or so, both to me and others, both with little things and bigger ones. So what I'm thankful for, is I've just recently realized that knowing that I deserve something not so pleasant happening to me helps me deal with it major time. I swear I could never get back to normal that fast before.

Positivity Perks

I realize there are so many perks to becoming a more balanced and content person besides the obvious ones. One of such things I'm thankful for is the fact that I don't really notice bad weather any more. No normal weather conditions are that bad if you look at it from a different point of view. Some have it way rougher.

Unfinished Business

By now you probably know that I always look for a meaning in everything, believe that everything happens for a reason, believe in destiny, signs and coinsidences and all that, and could care less what so many people think about it - it just works for me, I'm not forcing it on anyone. So, for a while now, there have been quite some weird and inexplicable things happening in my life, that kept preventing me from doing certain things I wanted to pursue. And I kept wondering why and I just couldn't find the answer. Until just a few days ago something not so pleasant happened. At first I got frustrated, but being the way I am, I really tried digging deeper into it. How thankful I am now - that thing that happened, no matter how unpleasant, is all I needed to be able to figure out all the recent why's. Once you know what the problem is you can get down to solving it. It was all about some of the unfinished bussiness, which I will now take good care of. It's no longer a problem, I know what I need to do and I'm going to make sure I learn from my mistakes.

Show Off

I love it how my dog is such a show off when he wants some of my attention! Gotta be thankful for this little wonder's creativity - sometimes he'll just keep changing poses until I notice and it always puts a smile on my face. I swear a few times he pretended to be dead too, scaring me major time each time he did.

Tiramisu

Here's some eye candy for you guys - I am thankful for my most delicious Tiramisu dessert ever!

Bubble Bath

I'm thankful for this little pleasure of life - a nice bubble bath. So looking forward to one tonight!

Always By Your Side...

I happened to read a very informative article on germs the other day, and that really made me think of how lucky we all are and how thankful I am for not being physically able to see all those E.Coli, salmonella and all other guys! Waking up in bed with millions of creepy little strangers would be unbearable!..

Stylish Science

So I was quietly whining to myself about this tedious work I had to do using Millipore's scientific catalogues and brochures lately… Until today, when I remembered I’ve actually always loved those pretty, stylishly colorful Millipore product catalogues and always thought it was a pity that I never really needed to use them for any meaningful purpose other than just meaninglessly flip through their pretty pages. What a fool I was all this time while working with them! I should be thankful for this opportunity to finally be turning the pages of those beauties with an actual purpose!

Bear With Me

I have to say one HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have stayed with me for so long now! Updating daily is certainly not the easiest task for my own self, but I can't even imagine how some of you manage to share your very insightful and valuable thoughts on each and every of my posts. THANK YOU, from the heart!

So, some of you expressed delight over me finally 'revealing' myself, which got me a bit surprised. I've made 'cameo appearances' on my own blog before, but realize now maybe it wasn't so obvious. But, who do you think is pictured in my profile picture? Me! True that for the first few months of this blog's existence there were no other signs of my identity rather than a few facts here and there via my writing. This, however, was for a reason. Let me tell you why. When I just created this project I wanted to reach out to people who were just as interested in the power of thankful mindset and positive thinking as I was, and I wanted to see if I could (and even prove to myself maybe) get other people engaged in the project without an attractive photo. Once I saw how many of you expressed sincere interest in the blog, I added my picture - because I got all the proof I needed.

For those of you who would like to catch up on the photos of ME they missed, here's my very first photo appearance on the blog, I guess I was still 'hiding' though and were coming out in the form of various body parts of mine, as this legs post, for instance. But you could see what my face looked like as early as this blog post! As for the more decent shots of me, there was the 'local' post and my 'silly' picture. And how could you forget the head to toe dog walks post? I am thankful for all of you still!..

Swear by Me

Now that I have the photos, I can get down to giving all due thanks to Wendy Brandes for my own set of her spectacular Swear Rings! (Check me out on Wendy's blog for the close up of the rings!) Wendy's awesome to work with and her designs are truly gorgeous: I loved my rings before I even ordered them, but I truly fell head over heels in love once I received the package - they're even better in person!

The rings were sent via UPS and were delivered at the speed of light, wowing both me and Wendy, so thanks go to the UPS people too. Also, thanks to my friend Masha for standing behind the camera, and to Mr. Rhett Butler for adding some cuteness to the shoot! And last, but not least, thanks go to mother nature for the good weather! It was a windy day with not much sun, but it still was warm and beautiful and a great day in general.

Photoshop

I am thankful for photoshop and the like. Any gloomy day pictured can turn to be a sunny one!

Impromptu

I'm thankful for all these spontenious get togethers and hang outs! A lot of times such events turn out really good, like today, for instance.

Have a Seat

I've noticed the other day that human legs bend in ways that let us sit in various cool positions, and not many mammals are that blessed! So here's to all the fun sitting positions our human legs let us achieve, ha.

Empathy

I'm one very empathetic person. I know what's happening between people before they know it, which is a lot of fun sometimes. I even sometimes know what I myself am going to feel soon, which I don't always realize right away. When I spend more time in a room full of people who are being nervous, I start getting nervous too - for no real reason other than my body getting those nervous vibes, and this one is never too much fun. But all in all, I am thankful for being that, because it looks like it's quite rare, and I believe with time I'm learning how to use this to my advantage.

Her & Me

So, my priceless chair has finally arrived! And maybe I should actually be thankful for it taking so long and getting here so late - the store offered me to pick a gift as an apology for all the waiting, so I left with the set of those awesome Miriam Mirri for Alessi heart shaped spoons I've been drooling over for a while. Woohoo, thanks!..

Care 2

There are people who care about you, and then there are people who also care about your feelings. I realize those are two different things. A true connection isn't possible without the latter, so I am thankful for people who take the time to know you better and do or say things taking into consideration your distinctive personal qualities.

Think Positive

Imagine the situation.

I’m at work. I’m wearing light gray pants. I stain my butt with chocolate.

It doesn’t look pretty.

But I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later – eating chocolate behind a desk might not be the best idea. Looks like a piece of my dark 85% cocoa Lindt Excellence chocolate bar broke off and fell on my chair when I wasn’t looking… Then I sat back and now it’s all over my behind.

Thankful thing I happen to wear a cardi over a tee today, so at least I can tie it around my waist to cover this mess up and go home without having to expose those suspicious brown stains. I'm a true chocolate lover for real.

Boys & Girls

I think it's actually pretty cool how men and women are different. If we were the same, the puzzle would always be left undone.

P.S. The picture is of the bathroom door plates at 10 Corso Como Cafe in Milan.

Modern Medicine

It's incredible how many lives modern medicine saves, and how many are blessed with better health thanks to it!

On Cleaning. Yes, Again!..

I've given my thanks for cleaning appliances already, now I need to mention I always feel thankful for this kind of mood when I actually don't mind cleaning. Such mood doesn't visit too often, but always very welcomed!

Spending Habits & Shopping With Mom

I don't have a problem with spending big money, I have a much bigger problem with spending money on something that doesn't cost much, especially when it comes to clothes, shoes and food. That's why I'm really thankful for those shopping sprees with mom - she's my opposite when it comes to spending, and she really helps me out big time when offering to pay for some less expensive items here and there. Thank you, mom!!!

Rice

I am so very much thankful for rice, oh my!.. Totally my favorite grain and a side dish. I'm rice crazy - I love all types! Japanese, Egyptian, Italian risotto, Spanish paella, Indian curry rice, Chinese, Caribbean... All, except for how Russians cook it. Am I in the wrong country or what?..

My Heart Skipped a Beat

How unusual! My heart is most definately not easily impressed, which I am very thankful for, but yesterday night it totally skipped a beat or two when that hot piece of a hunk walked in and stopped right in front of me. It's been a long while since I've felt this type of heart behavior, so I am definately thankful - what good proof of me still being alive. But how unusual though!

My Cousin

I'm thankful for having a cousin who has this amazing ability to explain the most complex thing (he's got a higher education in chemistry) in a way that makes it seem simple. Yes, he might use some terrific terminology, but somehow he still makes you see it in a whole new light - things just starts making so much sense.

Male Advice

Always trying to be wise, to make the most of any situation and to learn as much as possible from people who come into my life and influence me (something I’ve been doing since I remember myself), I’ve always taken advice given to me by men very seriously. Firstly, because men, and especially young men, don’t give advice often, making it all the more valuable, and secondly, because most of the time when men do give you a piece of advice they do so from the heart and without any bad intentions, unlike so many jealous girlfriends do.

I was 16 and he was 23, it was a summer time and we both were beach vacation goers. He was all about good looks and he certainly wasn’t stupid or rude, but he didn’t seem adventurous enough for me to really want to pursue him. So I kept letting him get very close and then pushed him away, again and again. I thought he’d hate me by the end of those two weeks, but instead I heard him say – “You’ve got an awesome personality. Please, don’t ever change”.

Simple as that. Or at least that’s how I still remember it to this day - there’s a chance he phrased it differently. And maybe his name wasn’t really Ismail as I remember it, but what matters is, I took it seriously, knowing what he meant by this impromptu piece of advice. It’s stuck in my head ever since and I am thankful.

About Me

I realized something new about myself today, and although I shouldn't really share the newest observation with the world, I am thankful for this new realization. Hapefully, it'll prove to be helpful soon.

Smell Sensation

When I did a post on taste, I thought it might be a good idea to give thanks for my favorite smells. So here goes. I like the smell of freshly ground coffee - perfect for turning any room into such a warm and welcoming one. I like the smell of uncooked pancake batter - no other dough has this addictively heady odor, I sometimes think I would totally buy and use a perfume that resembled the smell if I could ever come across one. And last, but not least, I like the smell of the pages of a new book... This one is particulary cool as it fades away fairly quick.

Born Stubborn

I've never been told it was a good quality to have, but in my life it's only been useful, so I'm thankful for being stubborn. Uhm, why not?

If It Wasn't for Bad Luck, I Wouldn't Have No Luck at All

Okay, I was pissed off at first, I must admit. Didn't quite get on my own thankful bandwagon right away, BUT I am thankful now. So, the deal is, for some unknown reason Vichy has had a problem with filling pharmacy shelfs with my usual Oligo25 facial cream... I kept checking on it almost daily and was starting to get irritated at its seeming sudden disappearance from Russian market. I was pissed to have to look out for a new cream, but not having much other choice I ended up trying their Aqualia Antiox, and I LOVED it. In fact, loved it even more than the one I used before. So, thanks for disappearing, Oligo!

P.S. Isn't the saying in the title of this post is just so true? I have it proving itself to me pretty much my entire life.