Take the #JanuaryGratitudeChallenge to start your 2016 New Year's Resolutions

Thankful to have a Lavazza coffee at Eately!

Happy 2016! The new year is filled with promise, a fresh start and lofty goals. A time to reflect and steer our lives on a course for new adventures. I am always thoughtful this time of year. I enjoy looking back on the previous years adventures. I love looking at all the pictures from my phone that I have taken. They remind me of the places, people and beauty I've seen. I must admit I enjoyed 2015! I was having such a good time I got out of the habit of journaling about the good things that I am grateful for each day.

I need a reboot! I've decided to start get back to basics and share what I am grateful for. I encourage you to go along with me on this journey!

You can join in the fun in January by tweeting what your grateful using the #JanuaryGratitudeChallenge. I will be tweeting gratitude prompts during the month of January to help you share your simple joys! Join in the fun by taking a daily gratitude break and share something your thankful for. I will be retweeting your thanks so we can all enjoy and learn what we appreciate. You could also share a picture of what you were grateful for.

Developing a gratitude habit will help you focus on what is good in your life and help you appreciate the beauty that is available to us if we just take the time to look! By practicing gratitude we are able to enjoy the present moment. We can not control what happens in any given day and we can control our reaction to it,

When I started Sharing Thanks several years ago I listed 4 gratitudes of what I was thankful for on any given day. Today I am going to share what I was grateful for on Sunday and Monday. I had such a lovely Sunday night that I am most grateful for.

1. I was thankful to enjoy a beuatiful night with family friends in the Flatiron district in New York City. We went to see a great off-broadway play at the Baruch Performing Arts Center called "Double-it - a living room circus"  These hip circus asian performers had amazing energy, agility, and warmth! We loved the lighted suits and the cool rhythms with innovative choreography and martial arts displays. I have been enjoying being a member of Theater Manias goldclub and have the priviledge to see many off-broadway plays affordably. I love going to the theater and I am amazed and energized by seeing new ideas brought to life. Every show is a different show because it is a live performance! We laughed and left the theater smiling. 
2. Is there anything better than a Lavazza coffee at Eately? I love the heart shape in my coffee foam. I got to visit the new Nutella cafe and also enjoyed a gelato. My daughter's friend loved the Nutella filled crepe! We also enjoyed seeing the installation art at Madison park. I love the Flatiron district and this area of Manhattan. It was fun taking our friends to Eately for the first time. The loved seeing all the Italian delicacies and exploring this cool venue.
3. I am thankful to play Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique tonight. The South Shore Symphony had our first rehearsal of this major work. It's a rich, difficult work with beautiful melodies. I am so fortunate to be able to play with such a talented group of musicians. I love leaving rehearsal with all this new music swirling around my head.
4. I was thankful to have a productive day today mixed with some art and topping it off with hot tea with my daughters and good friends. I was able to run some errands, and tackle some insurance forms, and solve problems. It was the first get back to work day. I enjoyed giving a few music lessons and was thankful that my students practiced during vacation! After rehearsal I was invited to have coffee talk at Dunkin Donuts with good friends any my daughters. I had a hot cup of tea and ended the day trading stories and smiles with friends and family.

I hope you will join in on the twitter fun for the #JanuaryGratitudeChallenge or you can always share what your thankful for in the comments below. Have a Happy 2016. You can have a great grateful year by flexing that gratitude muscle!!