The Iron-man, my family, my 'circle of influence' and my beautiful Cape Town.

When was the last time you were truly grateful for something? Not just thankful that you didn't get hit by a taxi or that you managed to escape paying the car guard on the side of the road, but deeply grateful for something.

Gratitude is an emotion (and the positive energy) that every single person needs more of. We need to practice gratitude daily: invest time in being grateful and only positive energy will come your way. It's not hokey-pokey or airy-fairy. It's just good living.

Gratitude is a passive emotion- as opposed to Love which is an active emotion. The combination of Love and Gratitude is something incredibly powerful and has been deemed 'The Ultimate Emotion' by many spiritual leaders. Being grateful for things in your life evokes acceptance and harmony and (according to the laws of attraction) send out an increased, and active, energy that attracts positive energy. By being grateful, you accept responsibility for the way that things are in your life and this leads to the full circle point where great things return to you. Sounding a little crazy? It's not. Do I sound like a hippie? Well...I'm not. Gratitude doesn't have to be way-out. It just needs to be acknowledged. . . and practiced.

My gratitude takes the form of The Iron-man (among other things) today. As I mentioned in my very first post, he had to leave me for a job position in Natal and so we haven't seen each other in 7 weeks. I picked him up from the airport on Friday morning and had an amazing weekend with him. We didn't do anything extravagant (as budget and time wouldn't allow) but we spent time being in the presence of each other- something that is more valuable to me on our 2 year anniversary than any amount of flowers, jewelry or expensive meals.

So, here is my list of things that I am grateful for today:

1) I am grateful for the Iron-man. He is not only my boyfriend, he is also the person I choose to spend all of my time with, who understands that I get grumpy when I haven't eaten in a while and that I tend to smother him with love and affection a bit too much. I am grateful that he is as much of a friend to me as he is anything else. I am grateful that he fills such a big part of my life and that he creates happiness, inspiration, love and gratitude in my life.

2) I am grateful for my 'circle of influence'- the web of people in my life who contribute to it's fullness and colour with their words, actions, friendship and love. I am grateful for the ability to give back to these special people, and make their lives richer in the same way that they influence mine.

3) I am grateful for my family. Quite simply- without them I would be nothing.

4) I am grateful for the City of Cape Town. Driving around in the champagne weather this weekend reminded me of how beautiful, clean and energizing this place is. The light is different here- it has a certain quality that manages to make me feel good whenever I stop to think about it.

5) This snippet of gratitude is one that stands steady, every day: I am grateful for being loved, and for having the ability to love in return. Forget money, power, fame or recognition in this materialistic world- love embodies all of those things and is the fuel that feeds my life.

There we go- the five things that I am grateful for today. When you have a moment today, take some time to welcome gratitude into your life- you will be amazed to see how many things in your life are really worthy of gratitude, and it will remind you that your life really is full, positive and rich.

Love and gratitude to you all

xx