Know What Your Heart Is For

I'm thankful that I know what my heart is for. You know, just thinking now that so many people are scared of their own feelings and emotions... I'd say, if you have it, make use of it!

Simply

I'm just simply thankful for today. For simply being alive, for being able to plan my day and to go about my simple day filled with good news and fulfilled expectations. I'm thankful for the simple day that was simply out of the ordinary - just like every day should be.

Full of Thanks

It's amazing to see the rise of various mission or daily happiness projects meant to spread the positivity that are documented online - i ♥ strangers, Operation Smiley Face, My Year In Haiku etc. Personally, I think it means that more people want to make this world a better place and they're starting with themselves... Inspiring, isn't it?

I'm thankul for coming across, being refered to or found by those amazing people behind these positively inspiring projects. Each such project is unique in its nature and each person behind it is someone you can get inspiration from. With that being said, I want to introduce you to another such person on a mission - Sandy and the 1000 Paper Cranes. Sandy was inspired by the true story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, and what impressed me the most about Sandy's project is how serious she took it long before the project went public. The crane maker girl took enough time (a year or so!) to carefully choose the best 1000 positive and inspiring words to put on each of her paper cranes! Yesterday marked the release of the Thankful Crane pictured above, read more about it here.

Photo courtesy of Sandy.

Who's Gonna Catch Me When I Fall

I am thankful for support and people who are willing to provide it. Just a little bit of sincere support can go a long long way!

You Had Me at "Thank You"

I'm thankful for people who are naturally polite and know when to say simple "please" and "thank you". Such little gestures can really mean a lot!

What are you thankful for today?

I'm totally developing a new hobby here! Last month GOOD chose my question to ask its readers on Facebook and Twitter (GOOD's post here), and I'm still so thankful for the joy that being able to ask it and read all the thankful answers brings to my heart, that I just can't help but want a little more of it. 

So tell me, what are you guys thankful for today?

Mice in the Metro

Yesterday in the metro I saw a guy who was playing with a real living mouse that he held in his hand (or was it a little rat?)... Now I'm thankful I'm not afraid of mice or rats, because I only noticed that sweet couple when I sat down right next to them. I can only imagine how hard I'd scream if I did have a fear of mice (or musophobia, or murophobia, or suriphobia)!

Just a Lesson in Your Life

There are people who are meant to come into your life, teach you a lesson and then just walk out of your life as if they never even existed... Or at least that's how I experienced it a few times. I was thinking about it today and realized, that if there are people out there who are meant to play this role in my life, then I am also a person who is meant to play this same role in someone else's life as well. Maybe this explains why sometimes we connect with someone and even though such a connection seems to be such a magical thing it somehow goes somewhat wrong and you're left feeling like you better just 'vanish'. Maybe it really means that you've played your role - you came and provided a lesson (even if unknowingly) - and now you're meant to walk away, leaving the other half of such connection with their thoughts and their lesson. Maybe. This is just a thought, but I still feel thankful for playing a part in someone's life, because frankly, we all do.

Best of Both Worlds

I'm thankful that whenever I read something on gender differences I feel like I'm not really your usual woman, but nor really a man either - I really do understand where both are coming from most of the time. I'm guessing I was definately a man in my previous life, and my past life memory is still going strong, ha ha.

Highlight of Yesterday

Just imagine the situation: we're sitting there on one of the Red Square's cafe's summer terrace/patio, having our lovely breakfast, talking, people watching... Yet another group of tourists passes us by, this time Asian tourists (I never found out what country exactly they were from). Then, all of a sudden they stop, and at least 5 of them pull out their cameras and start taking pictures of us from all angles, giving us the thumbs up and screaming "Beautiful!! Beautiful!!" in broken English - and it lasted for at least a minute or two! This was very unexpected and a little weird, but very funny and kind of flattering nonetheless, and I am definately thankful for the laughs! This was the first time I truly felt like a celebrity out on the town, ha ha!

Let Stay & Let Go

I realize I've learned a very valuable thing this year. It's seemingly obvious, but I am thankful I now not just know it but actually practice it too.

.

It's easier said than done, but let people show you who they are. Once they do, believe them. If there happens to be tension and someone wants to walk out of you life - let them go. If it all goes wrong and you're ready to give it up, yet they want to stay - let them stay. What is truly yours would simply always make an effort to claim that special place in your heart. Many people would need you and care about you for various reasons, but only a handful would truly care about your feelings too.

.

P.S. If you liked what you saw in my previous water post, vote for me in the photo competition! Just leave a comment on THIS PAGE, saying you vote for photo #9 by Julia Osovskaya. Thank you!

Tricks, Tactics & Technics

I'm thankful for a) having a brother and b) for my brother's not so easy personality type. See, I'm not married and I don't have a live-in boyfriend but I still get to learn the essential skill of how to live with a man on a pretty much daily basis. Having tried so many different tricks, tactics and technics already, I know how to get things done my way while still staying on the friendliest of terms. I can truly say I've mastered the skill better than I could have hoped for by this time, and I swear I'm better at it than my mom already. Looks like I'm definately not lying when I say I love to learn all sorts of things, ha!.. Knowledge is power, people.

"There is no knowledge that is not power" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pleasant Neighbour

Remember the perfect gentleman from a few posts back? Well, I met him again today. Went downstairs to check the mail and there he was - joined me on my ride back up in the elevator. Funny thing is, I didn't recognize him until he chatted me up and was so impossibly nice again. Wow, I'm just really thankful for having a pleasant person like that as a neighbour! This is quite rare and I believe that's the kind of a neighbour everyone should strive to be themselves too. Thanks for lifting my spirits, Mr. Perfect Gentleman!

Newly Opened Malls

I'm not going to express the opinion of the most here, but I don't really like sales. The point being, if you need for something to go on sale to get it, you either don't even like it that much or maybe you shouldn't try to afford it. (You don't have to agree with me!) But anyways, this is just an introduction to the new thankful post - I'm thankful for newly opened malls! Nothing like a huge spacious almost empty building where you can wander not hurrying anywhere, not hearing any noise or screaming, and where you have al the hoice you need and everyone is still polite.

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!!

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!..

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.