I love this thread! I have two margarita glasses that I drink my shakes out of. I get so much pleasure from having them. I got a laugh when I was drinking one for lunch in front of the window and the mail lady looked in through the window. I wanted to say, "This is a protein shake, not an alcoholic drink!"

I have that cheering voice inside of me constantly, to the point where I have to check myself. I'll be running at a race and thinking how awesome I am, to be so strong and healthy and tough. Of course I think everyone else is awesome too, but sometimes it's a little unseemly to say out loud how great I think we are. It's all born from gratefulness, though.

Pleasures for me also include "special needs" baking for people, walking around the neighborhood listening to my iPod, walking in the woods in the morning being with trees and birds, writing in my notebook, planning a family get together, getting a massage, and reading in the living room with my husband and kitty and the fire going.

One of my most delicious food treats lately has been a tub of "special dark" cocoa powder I got at the grocery store. I've been putting it in my shakes sometimes. I just want to applaud at how good my shakes are and how I never miss ice cream (it used to be my favorite food in the world-haven't had it for 13 years!) with all the deliciousness I can make with ice, oats, banana, protein powder, cocoa, peanut butter and almond milk. My poor blender gets quite a workout with the amount of frozen ice and broccoli I put in to make the consistency like ice cream.

So grateful for all of you here every day.

: Yes, Fiona - forging new brain
: pathways, rewiring the brain...so
: many new things are becoming a
: habit for me. It feels good.

: What you said about listening to your
: own positive voice - Yes! I love
: the way you put it, how you
: celebrate even the smallest
: everyday achievements. Those are
: the kind of things I take for
: granted. I actually wrote that
: down, so i will remember to do the
: same for myself. I may have to pin
: that note on the cuff of my sleeve
: so I see it all day :-)

: Thinking of your whole day as a food
: reward? What a brilliant way of
: stating it! Every morning, I pour
: my shake into my favorite cobalt
: blue stemmed glass, sit next to my
: 'happy light' and read for 20
: minutes. It's a happy ritual. And
: like you, I also buy quality food
: for the meals I now eat everyday
: (now, that's a change I'll give
: myself a pat on the back for), but
: it's another one of those simple
: things I never thought of as a
: reward.

: Thanks so much for sharing, because
: you've inspired me to look at the
: things I do in a new way. I'm
: going to sleep with a smile on my
: face tonight.

: : Acknowledging things -
: the tiniest of successes even -
: I have got to know a voice
: - I have
:
: