Even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, I am a big fan of both food and giving thanks for the things that I have been blessed with in my life, of which there are many. So, I just wanted to stop by and share with you some recipes that I have been drooling over recently ( c l i c k  t h e  i m a g e s )  along with my thoughts on this recently published article by The NY Times. It talks about giving thanks even when you’re not feeling particularly grateful and is that fake and lacking authenticity or, just part of a strong mental game?

I think therefore I am.

I have to say that I would wholeheartedly agree with the latter. Life is hard, man and we’re not always presented with a set of scenarios that immediately shout ‘Oh my god, amazing! You should be SO thankful right now!’ Sadly, as is more often the case, we are presented with a myriad of different situations that could all be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, depending on your outlook and current frame of mind. There is a saying that goes something along the lines of; ‘We cannot control what happens to us, only how we react to it.’ Basically, we decide whether or not to be happy with what we have and whether or not to give thanks for the things in our lives that are going well.

Take running for example… I generally dislike it! I spend the majority of the run whinging internally; ‘Too slow, too knackered, asthma playing up – stupid pollution… Yada yada’. Then 9 times out of 10, I force myself to stop and instead I focus on the fact that I’m grateful to be running, I have the full working use of my legs and I’m so grateful to be able to experience the luxury of running, when many can’t.

It’s all in the mindset.

So, if you’re struggling this Thanksgiving try to strip it back down to basics. Every single day you wake up, that is something to be oh so thankful for. Just the fact that we’re alive means that our situations can change if we want them to, no matter how desperate things might feel at the moment.

Take the time to celebrate the small things with those you love and enjoy some delicious food – as pictured above!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots of love, Hayley + Dan