thanksgiving

Gratitude

Plank You!

Gratitude is important to our wellbeing all year, but this time of year we stop to consider and share the parts of our lives that makes us truly grateful. Recently I listened to a Super Soul Sunday where Oprah interviewed Brene Brown, a researcher on shame and courage.

Joy Needs Gratitude

In the interview Brown mentioned that everyone has thoughts that are killjoys. She used the example of looking at your children sleeping and being so in love and then envisioning a catastrophe that takes them away from you. I don’t have children, but I’ve had that thought process in a multitude of scenarios. (I’ve always presumed it is some mild OCD.) According to Brown people who lean into that negative thought are less happy than those who notice the thought, stop it, and instead recognize how grateful they are for the moment and what they have now.

Gratitude is truly imperative to our happiness.

Appreciate Movement

Ease of movement also boosts our happy meter. In a New Yorker article, “Can We Live Longer But Stay Younger,” by Adam Gopnick, he writes about having the opportunity to wear a suit that mimics […]

GratitudeMaggie Downie2019-10-15T17:22:40-04:00

Nutmeg Muffins: A Thanksgiving Family Tradition

In Red: Bertha Klug (nutmeg muffin creator).

When teaching a Pilates class, while participants hold a 90-second plank, I try to tell amusing stories. A few years ago on my last day of classes before Thanksgiving, I jokingly said to my last class, “I only have two Thanksgiving-themed stories. You are probably all sick of hearing them year after year. Something interesting better happen this Thanksgiving so I can get a better story for you guys.” I got my wish from a seemingly inconspicuous nutmeg muffin.

Nutmeg Muffins

I have a family recipe for nutmeg muffins from my great, great, great grandma. My family makes them on the regular, but I have been gluten free for 8 years. In that time, I’ve enjoyed nutmeg muffins less. Though I’ve experimented with g-free flours, it seems gluten-free products suck the flavor out of everything. In an attempt to improve the quality every time I make nutmeg muffins I add a little more nutmeg. This year as I preheated the oven on Thanksgiving morning and pulled the beaters out of the drawer to make my bland muffins, I said to myself with the air of hyperbole: […]

Nutmeg Muffins: A Thanksgiving Family TraditionMaggie Downie2019-10-16T12:33:12-04:00

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year. I love to eat. I really enjoy my family. And everyone gathers without the crazy rush of Christmas time. Turkey day kicks off the holiday season. And though that season can be crazy I really do enjoy it.

This is a very reflective time of year, which can bring out a lot of emotions. It’s always a good time to stop and take stock. I feel very lucky. I love my job and the work I do. But that is entirely because […]

ThankfulMaggie Downie2017-12-29T19:52:43-05:00

Once Grateful for Boys, Now Grateful for So Much More

One of the moments when I just couldn’t stop smiling.

Tomorrow at my family dinner we will go around the table and express our gratitude for something. I always cycle through the same three answers. I’m grateful that I can travel. I’m grateful for my health. And I’m grateful for my family and friends.

All true, but I thought it might be worthwhile to think outside the box and come up with something different this year. For help I grabbed a gratitude journal I started keeping in 1998. While my intentions are good now, and I mean to keep a gratitude journal, I tend to only use it a handful of times a year. But twenty years ago, I was reasonably consistent.

Here’s a sampling of things I appreciated in high school:

Words

Long Walks on Beautiful Days

Being able to Clock Distances in your Car

A Man Running Back and Forth between a Stop Sign and a Stop Ahead Sign

My Brother’s Huge Bear Hugs

Listening to Other People’s Memories from Before I was Alive

Seeing Nick S Because He is so Good Looking but I Have Never Talked to […]

Once Grateful for Boys, Now Grateful for So Much MoreMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:24:29-04:00

Thanksgiving Goes Gluten Free

This year after a small debate I stayed G-Free for Thanksgiving. I thought I would hate it and while I’ll admit I took an long sniff of the stuffing (my favorite part of a Turkey Day feast) as I passed it to my Grandma, it really wasn’t that hard.

I could eat everything except stuffing, gravy, pie and cornbread. That might seem like a lot, but what it means is that I got turkey, turnips, carrots, peas, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. It was a delicious meal. And here is the best thing about being G-Free on Thanksgiving: I was never stuffed. Normally at the end of Thanksgiving I’m so full I feel sick. This year I didn’t stuff myself with three pieces of pie and extra stuffing so I never felt that full.

That really made it worth it. At the end of Thanksgiving I always regret how much I’ve eaten. It was really nice not to this year. I wish I could just have […]

Thanksgiving Goes Gluten FreeMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:34:30-04:00