I was recording and editing an episode that I had planned to release this week when it just It wasn't coming together. I kept getting interrupted. I kept getting distracted. Have you ever had that happen where you just set out an intention and, and it's like outside forces interfered and you were creating your own blocks to have it happen as well and it just became Blatantly obvious that I needed to just stop and take a deep breath and then rethink things and I realize it was because I Have something more important to share today And so I want to share this very special episode of picture love podcast here as November is Flying by at the most rapid pace I ever recall experiencing any And here in the States, it is leading up to Thanksgiving, and it's very common for people to speak in terms and trends of giving thanks. And I'd like to offer a little bit of a, a tweak on that, because... I think it's so good to have a holiday that comes around every year to remind you of something important, an important intention, a special occasion, a milestone, something like that, whether you're into holidays or not. I, I love that our society has reminders like Thanksgiving as an example. But what I would like to, to speak to is a fresh reframing. You could say a picture love frame. On things that we tend to either overlook because we just do it and go through the motions or we even make them sticking points like our to do lists and we as a society just get so busy and bogged down and I think that it's very common to just lose it Touch of conversations, lose touch with loved ones and even illness when it gets really bad and we're just not tending to our hearts as much as we are our lists and our minds. So I want to offer a thought to reframe or even transmute the concept of a to do list into to appreciate list. Or you might even want to, if that doesn't resonate, maybe consider it a mindset of switching from have to, to get to. And so let's just, take a moment. If you have a pen and paper nearby, this might be a really great exercise for a journaler or a list maker. Or maybe you want to take out a notes app on your phone. Wherever you keep your to do lists. And just get all the things down that are in your head that you feel like you need to do in order to get to whatever's next and it sometimes can feel like a chore. And just brain dump it all out there. And if you have already, then grab that list, look at your agenda, look at your list, however you organize your tasks of your day or your week ahead. And I want you to, if you're busy getting ready for guests or getting ready for a holiday or a tradition, there might be extra to do items that you don't always have to deal with and maybe there are just things that need to be delegated But they would go in a list that somebody might typically call to do. Now What if each one of those items- became a to appreciate list now. I'm gonna give you an example my kids home from college. I'm so happy I love when all my babies are under my roof at the same time my husband baby and my baby babies It is so good. Even the pets are happier. The energy is just so fantastic. Now with more bodies in the house means more food, more trash, more laundry, more traffic, more shoes, more keys, more coordinating. And now we're sharing cars because their car is off at college and we are down to mine and my husband. So three drivers, two cars and another one on the way. So it's, it's a lot of crazy. And I'm hosting Thanksgiving and I love this and I look forward to it and I'm really, really, really excited about it. But if I fall into my old patterns of the to do lists and the things I have to do, it just feels like a burden and it feels exhausting. But when I think about cleaning the house for company, I can look at it as a get to, meaning I get to welcome people I love into my home. I get to welcome people I love back into my home. I get to have these relationships that cause a beautiful mess that I love so much and I wouldn't trade for anything. Or I have to do so much more laundry because my gosh, it's just more sheets and more towels and more blah, blah, blah. Or I get have these people in my home, and yes, they may cause more laundry, and yes, they may be doing themselves, their own load when I want to do mine, but I'm so grateful to have these logistics that means the people I love are around me. Maybe. That's not your case. Maybe you just are overwhelmed maybe you're moving, maybe you're downsizing, maybe you're planning a project for work, maybe you're retired and you are really tied up with your charities. I know a lot of charitable organizations do very important things to not only mark the holidays but in parts of the world where it gets cold this time of year, they're rallying to make concessions for those in need more so than just other times of the year, and the lists get to be really long. So maybe instead of, I have to cook 20 pies for this fundraiser, I get to share my skills and my abilities to make a difference in somebody's day. Or Instead of, I have to get these reports run so that my boss will get off my back might be, I get to run these reports because I have a job and it pays the bills and I'm grateful for the, the opportunity to have work that puts food on my table. Maybe it's a I have to get to the doctor's office or maybe we could reframe that as I am grateful. That I have medical care to meet my needs and take care of my body and the bodies of those that I'm caring for. So I really want to just take those to do's and make them all opportunities to remember to appreciate, to appreciate the gifts, the blessings, the experiences, the messy lives that we have that are really so beautiful and we don't always notice. So what do you say? Does this resonate with you? doEs it feel a little bit lighter when we get to look at things with a lens of appreciation rather than dread and overwhelm? I really believe that this way of picturing love through our day to day lives, and sure, sharing some photos in between and reminiscing over some stories to really feel good, are all things that we can do that are actually actions of love and compassion for ourselves. And when we are compassionate towards ourselves and we're allowing ourselves these better thoughts, our bodies work better, our brains work better, sleep is better. And you know what? We do a better job in service for others. That's what my heart wanted me to share with you right now. And just to make it a little bit more fun and a lot more engaging. I'm very excited to tell you about the first ever picture love"appreciation giveaway". That's right. The lucky winner of this raffle will receive a piece of my work. They will be able to give me a few of their very, very favorite photos, and I will design it into a collage specifically for the winner. And here is how you get to enter into this appreciation giveaway. I hope you do it just for the sake of the joy of participating and growing and engaging with each other. So. Here it is three simple steps first, rate and review the show. And if you've already done it here on Apple please do it on Spotify. If you've already rated over on Spotify, please just hop over to Apple podcasts. The second step, take a screenshot of this episode and share it on either Instagram or Facebook and tag me. My handle is Chris reminisce. I will spell it in the show notes. And the third on that same platform, either Instagram or Facebook, wherever you went, go to the post about this appreciation giveaway on my, on my profile, Chris reminisce, and comment on that post and just type a heart and also just name one thing you get to do or appreciate about this week. And you will be entered, but if you'd like to be entered twice on that same comment, make sure you tag a friend to invite them to participate in this and encourage them to listen to this episode of Picture Love. You know what? I changed my mind. However many friends you want to tag on that comment, that's how many more extra entries there will be. So you could literally tag five friends, follow those steps, and you will be entered six times for my giveaway. I hope during this little exercise Everybody will just start to feel a degree, a measure better and encourage those around them to do the same thing. That is the whole purpose of this. I just want to cause people to picture love, more regularly as an everyday activity. If we elevate our thinking and our moods and our intentions, I think that we will just really benefit the collective, don't you? I can't wait to see what more positive appreciation thoughts you come up with, and I guarantee yours will inspire others.