Week One: New Years Resolutions and Fabulous Friends

Happy New Year!

You may be thinking "Jaime, it's September..." but this past week we celebrated the Jewish New Year, and I got to thinking that this was as good a time as any to make some resolutions. A few days after the holiday, I happened across a Thank You card kit in a book store, designed to inspire a year of gratitude. That is how my first official new years resolution of "show more gratitude" came to be. That resolution, combined with the Thank You note kit and my love of greeting cards, is where the idea for this blog came from.

I am the first to admit that I take a lot for granted, and sometimes how much I have versus how much others lack is astounding. I am not, however, writing this blog to make myself feel better or show myself how great I have it. On the contrary, I think a quote by John F. Kennedy sums up how I feel about gratitude.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest 

appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them" 

- John F. Kennedy

I want to push the limits of my gratitude. I want not only to be grateful for all the wonderful people and things in my life, but to show those people how much they mean to me and how grateful I am for them. Maybe then I will be able to pay forward my gratitude and use it to help others.

So this week, the inaugural Thank You week, I thought it only appropriate to thank my amazing friend Stacey Beth! 

Me and Stacey Beth on a recent visit to NYC

Stacey Beth is an amazing blogger (check out her blog here), which has inspired me to start a blog myself (something I always wanted to do but never quite knew how, I am still figuring it out). Stacey Beth is the smartest, kindest, most amazing person I know. Stacey challenges me to think outside the box, pushes back on ideas that I haven't fully thought through, is supportive and honest, and is always there for me. I can only hope to be half the friend Stacey Beth is to me. While friendship is definitely a theme worth further exploring in another blog post, this week is dedicated especially to you, Stacey Beth! 

Do you have a friend that inspires you? Have you made any new years (Jewish or calendar) resolutions this year? Lets chat in the comments section.

Gratefully yours,

Jaime Ariella