Keep Your Head Up

I was just thinking... Whenever we, people, have a headache we whine, but when we don't have it the idea of aknowledging it barely ever crosses anyone's mind. This is just not right, so here goes - I am thankful for not having a headache today!!

Breeze

A few days back I was sitting behind my desk at home and enjoying the light breeze coming from my window, soft music and my good frame of mind... Remembered those much needed moments of outer and inner calmness again today. Breeze is such a nice thing, isn't it? Makes your mind stop racing and just lets you relax.

Ticking Off

Don't you enjoy the feeling you get when you tick off things on your to do lists? My favorite would have to be lists of items/experiences I want/need to buy/afford but can't get my hands on right away or get all of them at once. That's when I need to really figure out my finances and make it work somehow. I need to mention, not all such lists end up being ticked off fully, or even within one year, but those lists bring the most satisfaction. Or maybe I just love an occasional confirmation of my amazing money management skills, ha.

Speaking of lists and ticking off, I thought I'd include a photo of this t-shirt... And wondering now, what would YOU tick off on it for the whole world to see?

Naomi

Thanks to my friend's new kitten (her 3d day at new home) for being such a friendly little thing and letting me tease, tickle, squeeze and play with her!

Ghost Chair. Song.

I'm so thankful I came across this song - not only is it absolutely, magically beautiful, but it happened to really fit my current mood and, by making me think, made me realize a few new things, and all sorts of realizations are always welcomed here. Plus, how can I possibly not have a soft spot for a song mentioning chairs and titled 'Ghost Chair'? And you guys know what kind of a chair it is, don't you? Louis Ghost Chair was designed by Phillippe Starck for Kartell.

So here's the song, and the video is actually a live footage, how awesome is she?

Cockroaches Don't Fly

I've always prided myself on not being scared of roaches (even once having one climb up my leg I just shook it off and forgot all about it right away), so upon having a mentally traumatic encounter with one today I was upset my initial reaction resembled fear. Maybe I just really didn't expect this as I haven't seen one in our apartment in so long now I almost forgot what they looked like, or maybe the delayed roach fear has been developed and successfully showcased this morning. I'm definately going to hope it's the former, but while having my breakfast and expecting the nasty thing to jump out on me from every corner, I realized I was thankful roaches couldn't actually jump or fly - now that would make my breakfast experience even less pleasant. Monday breakfasts really seem to be better, ha!..

How I Ended Up Being Bare Legged at Work

How thankful am I that we don't really have a dress code at my workplace! Otherwise I would have probably been jobless by now.

The story is as follows: I get dressed in the morning, wearing a skirt and a shirt. The skirt is short but not too short... Until you walk in it. So halfway to the metro I notice it looks like I'm just wearing two shirts - the skirt kept getting up and up until it almost went missing. Not cool. I rush back home to change and as I don't have time to completely rethink my look, I just reach for the shorts that are similar in style and color to that unfortunate skirt. Not really a problem until halfway to the metro I realize those shorts are much shorter than I thought. Ugh. No time to go back.

So, I am definately thankful for not having a dress code at work, because even having showed up bearing so much leg I still have a job. Will think better about experimenting with new clothes when getting ready for work next time for sure!

Still Discovering Myself

After all the planes planes planes I've taken to run away from varios pains pains pains, after all bad romance attempts I've made to forget the one and all before, after getting into trouble just because I was getting bored, I'm thankful I finally just want to focus on myself. Do things because I want to do them and enjoy them for me. Find my own balance first, end things before rushing into millions new, find peace and get on good terms before attempting to erase. Someone's definately been doing a lot of growing up lately, and it still finally feels so good.

Best Tears I've Ever Cried

I've never told this to anyone before, but for some reason just remembered it again today. I think I'll never forget how one time when I was a kid, me and parents went shopping: we probably went just to get some housekeeping sort of things, but while at it mom noticed a clothing store and me and her went to check it out. The money were tight, and seeing mom trying on the cheapest items and then buying them only because they were so unbeliavably cheap and she needed new clothes and not because she liked them had such a big impact on me - I cried so damn hard when we got home. I cried while in the shower so that no one could hear, I cried and cried, whispering "she was buying the cheapest" to myself over and over. I believe those were the best, the purest and the most meaningful tears I've ever cried. And that's how I wanna cry from now on, and not for stupid reasons, so I'm thankful to the lesson from the past - from the little me to the bigger me.

Gonna go give mom a call now.

Mondays

This might sound unusual, but I realized I liked Mondays. They're like new beginnings - bring new hopes, new goals, new accomplishments. I'm thankful to Mondays, because I get to wake up early and enjoy my early morning breakfast, not feeling sleep-deprived like it sometimes happens later in the week, and I'm thankful to Mondays, because I get to reminisce about the good weekend that passed but is still fresh in my memory, and I am thankful to Mondays, because I look forward to an upcoming weekend with a positive attitude and determination to spend it even better than the one just passed.

Picnic & the City

We have this one park here, which is right in the central area of the city, practically next to one of our busiest highways, so it always amused me how quite and peaceful it always felt there. We've been planning to have a picnic there for at least 2 years now, so I am very very thankful and happy it has finally happened!! Thank you to the friends who made the day such a perfect one, and thanks to the Un-Boring Garden (that's what the park is called!!) for providing some un-boring place of gathering. Do I even need to mention the weather was perfect too?.. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Breakfast Outside (Almost)

I'm thankful for the occasional opportunity to have my breakfast almost outside (I live in an apartment building on a 16th floor so this is NOT a given). Our kitchen has a balcony and whenever it's warm and sunny enough outside, I open the windows and voila - I'm almost on a summer terrace!..

Not Just Black & White

You know what, I've just been thinking that it's really cool that the world is colorful and we humans see in color! How weird would it be for everything to be black and white?

Perfect Stranger

Yesterday morning on my way to work I happened to meet one truly impossible gentleman: entering the elevator he smiled and said "hello" and he held the door for me when we were leaving our apartment building... All nice gestures that are expected of any polite person and a man with good manners. However, what happened next, had me totally smitten. Upon walking out of the front door I looked up and saw it was raining a little, and wondering if I should open my umbrella I hesitated for maybe just a second - but he noticed, smiled and asked me whether I had an umbrella or if I needed him to walk me to the metro under his. Thank you for wowing me, Mr. Perfect Stranger!..

Thank You Too! / Winners! /

It's only natural that today I am thankful to Hugo and Joachim, my partners in thankful crime, for making the Thank You Too! Contest possible! We loved reading your incredibly touching personal thankful experiences and it definately wasn't easy to choose just three stories, in Hugo's words - "they all deserve to win!"

So, the thankful new owners of Thank You Cards booklets are:

Emily, Peter & Leah

Congratulations, guys! Please check your emails (maybe check your spam folder too in case you can't find it in your inbox) and reply with your full postal addresses, if you still haven't done so.

Huge thanks to everyone who entered the contest and shared their beautiful stories, if you are thankful you are always a winner, you can trust me on this one!..

Bottles of Joy

I've been really into nail polishes lately, meaning I've been falling for the most unexpected colors AND hunting them down till I got them. Weird and kind of unusual for me, but I can't not to be thankful for the joy the whole thing brings me. Yes to mint colored toes! Yes to cobalt blue nails!.. Now, onto the next little bottle of joy...

Online Bookings

I'm thankful for online movie tickets booking! Very handy.

Lost & Found

I'm feeling very thankful for getting back in touch with a friend of mine from a year back. We used to have so much fun - scary movies, street racing, night outs, ice skating and whatnot - until our mutual female friend ruined it all (women are such jealous creatures for the most part). Our friendship might never be the same again and maybe me and him won't be hanging out again any time soon, but I love it how when we chat now it feels like we've never stopped talking.

What are YOU thankful for? It's the last day to enter the Thank You Too! Contest and your last chance to win a little thankful something! Submit your thankful story HERE now!

I've Got Food in My Fridge

I'm thankful for all those foods that are in my fridge right now, which I am thankful for also. Some people don't even own a fridge. Just a thankful thought for today.

Lunch-ing

The following thankful post is long overdue, I have to say!.. I'm thankful for our new lunches at work. Before, we used to have our office fridge stuffed with all those frozen ready made meals, which I barely ever ate so I had to cook my own lunches and take them to work (I care about my healthy eating habits a whole lot); but now, we have real lunches delivered to the office daily and I couldn't be happier about it! I also love it how I now have such a great chance to plan my meals ahead and to make sure I eat a variety of foods weekly without having to cook a thing!.. All I have to do is choose and order, awesome!

What and how do you eat at work?

Me, Myself and I

I am thankful for having been born who I am and the way I am. It's quite possible that the present thankful thought was inspired by some of your thankful stories, but I was just thinking yesterday night how much I really appreciated being the type of person that I am - no matter the downs and lows I'd never want to live this life as someone else or have a different life path. And this is the type of a realization I wish everyone experiences at least once in their lifetimes and says thank you for it.

As for your thanks, only 4 more days left to enter the Thank You Too! Contest, so gather all your thankfullness and come burst it out HERE!

Realizations

I'm thankful for all sorts of realizations - like when you try to figure out something or struggle to find a solution and then you just realize what needs to be done. Feels so liberating!..

Horses

So, I kind of remembered that I really like horses. Horses in general and riding them too, which I wish I did more of.. Can't even remember when was the last time I did!.. So today, I'm going to give my thanks to these beautiful creatures that have been serving humankind well for so so long now.

P.S. And because I don't really have a nice picture of a real horse, I thought I'd post a picture of a really nice door handle instead taken here in Moscow (one can guess where) - it's horse shaped, after all!..

What are YOU thankful for?
Come share a story and win a little thankful something!

Chat, No Roulette

I'm thankful for our yesterday night's conversation with my friend Jack. Was good to catch up, to reminisce, to confess some things and to clear some things up... And I guess while I'm at it I also need to say thanks to MSN Messenger for even making this sweet chat possible, because long distance is not the most helpful thing when you want to talk to someone. So thanks!

What are YOU thankful for?
Come share a story and win a little thankful something - HERE!

Come Over

I'm thankful for having friends and guests over every once in a while! Bet many of you can relate, eh? Althougth I know there are people who don't like guests, ha.

Put Your Trust In Me

I'm thankful for the trust people put in me. Not many will probably get it or see any point in such thing, but I sincerely love it when others are willing to fully open up to me and choose me as someone who they can tell their deepest secrets to and share their heartaches and woes. I really don't mind seeing you cry, you showing me your softer side and having you get all vulnerable and weak in front of me. Such "weakness" never scares me off, instead, it inspires my own trust in you, because it shows me that you're a genuine person who knows how to feel.

Albinism

I'm thankful for randomly coming across this article on albinism. After reading the accompanying comments under the images I realized my knowledge on the subject was so limited: back in school we did have an hour or so on albinism within the biology course, but all I ever really knew was that people and animals with the condition had very little or no pigment cells and thus looked very pale. I never even thought of it that much - I don't discriminate so why would I even think of someone who looks whiter than others? Yesterday I had a chance to read more on it and gosh, did I feel terribly uneducated! Among some other things, I had no idea people with albinism had a very different eye sight from people without the condition. So I am also thankful to Bianca and her blog for having put such an effort into explaining so many things.

Bro's 21st!

It's my brother's 21st birthday today! Woohoo! I'm thankful for having such a good-hearted, kind, dedicated, interesting and intelligent person as my sibling. Happy Birthday, Denis!!

Friends

I'm thankful for having a friend in the movie distribution industry! Funny thankful post, I know, but guess who gets to attend movie premiers because of that?..

Growing Up

Yesterday on my way to work I suddenly realized I've finally felt good about the process of growing up. I remember back in my official teen years getting older used to bring so much pain, struggles, tears and sadness that I couldn't help but fear the difficulty of being an adult... I realize now maybe it's just natural for some kids and teens to feel that wrong, and I am very thankful I am now finally doing all my growing and wising up without those depressing side effects! To me, I think this new phase marks my official adulthood. Oh finally.

P.S. !!! Do not hesitate to participate in the Thank You Too! Contest !!!