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Editor's letter

I don't think I was ever truly grateful for who I am or what I had until later on in life… because I never realized who I was or what I had until later on in life. Some people figure it out in their younger years. It took me awhile. But that's okay. Some people never "get" it.

My mother use to say, "Youth is wasted on the young." I didn't understand what she meant…until I was older. I hope no one gets mad at me…but I think it is true.

When I was younger, I thought I was fat. You know what? I was NEVER fat. Never. What a waste of my life, energy and focus. I see this now and odd as it may sound, I apologized to my body. My body has never betrayed me but I betrayed my body, many times.

I am thinner and leaner now than I was in those younger years? Why? Because I quit obsessing about my weight. I put my focus elsewhere (on what I wanted and not on what I didn't) and I became grateful for what I had (strong healthy body).

I have read many books and articles on gratitude. They say that being grateful is perhaps the single most important thing you can do for your well being. Gratitude reaps rewards both physically and mentally. You get what you think.

Sometimes the truth is so simple…it can be quite profound and easy to miss. We expect it to be more complicated. The answer is not outside of us but within us. This Thanksgiving month my gift to you is this quote:

You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.

-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV.4.5

Be grateful. Now get out there and shop a lot!