The 'Thank You' Project

Positive & Thankful Cycology

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Positive Cycology™ is a lifestyle brand started in 2011 with an idea about being seen on the road. Let's hear it in Kat's, the founder of Positive Cycology, own words:

"As a cyclist, the road is often full of scary interactions, negativity and vulnerability. How odd as the joy of riding a bike is the exact opposite experience! Every time I'm on my bicycle I say to a motorist "Thank You For Seeing Me" as a intentional act of kindness to plant a seed of awareness and visibility for all of us on the road."

Another great project out there!

Thank You Water

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:49:00 +0000

This is impossible not to share - how cool is the idea of the Thank You Water? The Australian company is a "social enterprise" giving everyone an opportunity to change the world and fight the world water crisis by choosing their product: each bottle sold provides a one months worth of safe water to someone in need somewhere in the world.

P.S. Loving their cute and stylish images and bottle labels too!

3 Years Later

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 18:22:00 +0000

3 years and almost 3 months without a daily written gratitude journal and it still feels like it's the first day of the rest of my life. Gratitude is magic and I am in control.

Image via

Thankful for Dancing

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 13:09:00 +0000

Anyone else here who is thankful for dancing?

The Way to Look at Things

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:53:00 +0000

"I thank green lights for staying green when I'm running late!" - via PostSecret.com

Image via

Guest Blogging for The 'Thank You' Project?

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:13:00 +0000

I have been sharing both my thankful journey and its outcomes for a little over 3 years now, and even though I could always find a thankful thing to blog about, there's only so much of my personal story that I can share.

With all of the 24 amazing things that have happened to me thanks to this gratitude journal, I can't help but wonder - what is your experience with giving thanks?

Have a story to tell? Want to share? How about doing so via this space? Let me know if you want to!

Image via

What Kind of Coffee Are You Thankful For?

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:02:00 +0000

I'm thankful for a hot Americano on most of the chillier days for keeping me caffeinated and warm, for black coffee with milk for keeping my thinking sharp and my stomach full in between meals at work and for iced lattes with skim milk when it's hot outside for the feeling of refreshment and for keeping me company during my leisury city walks.

What kind of coffee are YOU thankful for?

Thank You, and Have a Nice Day

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Image found here.

Thankfully on Pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:51:00 +0000

Is it any surprising that I have a thankful board on Pinterest?

Gratitude is a Fabulous Life Sweetener

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Need the sweetener recipe? Try this - some of my ideas and take aways from my own gratitude journey.

Image via

Thank Someone Special: Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:16:00 +0000

The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health opened in 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. In addition to being a place helping people fight neurocognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and more) and being a remarkable architectural structure (do take a look at the facility photos!), the center's building was also found to be a thankful place - the wall was spotted and photographed by Flickr user pony.rojo.

P.S. Isn't this a great new addition to the not so serious Thankful Person’s Guide to Places to Eat, Shop & Play? All thankful places featured here on TTYP are filed under the special tag.

Tool: Printable Thank You Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Little pretty printables from Buttoned Up - printable thank you notes! And a fun idea along with the free cards: print these out, trim on the lines and place them on plates at Thanksgiving (or any!) dinner, or even just use them next time you're gathering with friends or family. Encourage your guests to write what they are most thankful for. Then place the notes in a bowl and let everyone pick one out and read it out loud. Your own words of gratitude sound differently when you hear them said by another person (just like reading someone else's thanks is a magical feeling too), so the little exercise in gratitude is guaranteed to be a heartwarming experience!

Always Thank Your Cab Driver

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 06:54:00 +0000

Good idea made even more convenient! Although a little bit less polite, I would say. Remember the cabbie napkin? Here is the cabbie hoodie, courtesy of Wildfox.

Remember: in case of an emergency, turn to gratitude. And always thank your cab driver.

Grateful Tableware

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:55:00 +0000

Came across sweet and very grateful tableware by the company called Blessings Unlimited. They make place mats with the words 'let your heart be grateful' written on them, 'gratitude' plates, salad plates and mugs, 'grace and gratitude' plates and many more! My favorite would have to be this antique teal 'gratitude' plate (see below) - there is "begin with giving thanks" printed underneath.

Meet Marco: Our June "Quote"

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Marco is the creative director of an international agency/design studio and is featured as the June "quote" in the Thankful Calendar 2012. I met Marco online when I discovered his video on Vimeo about the smoke in Moscow posted over a year ago. During our conversations I learned that he was an American living here in Moscow with his daughter - the life he blogs about in Impressions of an Expat. It wasn’t right away that I realized Marco was also a published writer, but ever since I saw his novel on Amazon and decided to ask for some writing tips, I have been all the more thankful to have come across that video – Marco has always been ready to help and give the best advice!

“ I am thankful for leftover Chinese food & a fresh breeze.”

Marco on his featured quote:

"I try not to overthink things. Julia asked me for a quote about something I am thankful for and in that exact moment, I was tucking into a bowl of cold leftover ginger chicken that I had cooked the night before. Food, and cooking is a major part of my life. Cramming people into our tiny kitchen and stuffing their bellies with surprise and delight is my idea of a great Saturday night. No matter how difficult life gets, scrambling some eggs or rolling out some fresh pasta brings me back to center. It makes me whole. It makes me useful. In that same moment, I was checking my watch to see how if it was time to get my daughter from kindergarten. Spying her playing with other children, and her face when I find her at the end of the day is a blessing. Then, that breeze came in the windows. That’s life. Sometimes it can be that simple, that uncomplicated."

Gratitude: the Tattoo Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Having come across other grateful people with thankful tattoos, I, of course, had to share. Maybe I'm biased, but I just feel like this kind of ink has extra meaning, and seeing these photos just makes me wonder what these people's stories are...

Ladies:

"and I thank you" - via flickr user alexjadekershaw

"think & thank" - now this one is mine

"Grateful" - via flickr user benzismama

Gents:

"Grateful" - via flickr user maroen777

"Thank you thank you..." - via flickr user HeadOvMetal

"Thank you" - via flickr user Buonline
(I'm sorry to this guy for chopping his head off - nothing personal, just that I don't support smoking and find cigarettes aesthetically unpleasing. See full photo here.)

And a bonus guy "thank you" tattoo photo!

So what do you think? Would you want to hear the stories? I mean, I might as well go ahead and ask.

Why not...

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

#futuregratitude

Travel Value

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 17:18:00 +0000

The Sartorialist reader made a valuable point here, but Mr. Scott made a better one. It reminded me of the value of travel besides all the obvious ones, and for that I'm thankful today.

“ I love how travel opens my eyes to other places and cultures but it also shakes me out of the day to day numbness of seeing my own culture and how special it can be. ”

Forgot that for a moment... But next time I travel and then go back, I resolve to remember.

Question Existing

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Thu, 31 May 2012 19:15:00 +0000

   “ If you woke up tomorrow
                with only the things you’d given thanks for
                             T O D A Y ...
                    What would still be in your life? ”

Makes you think, doesn it? Do you see a connection to this Nietzsche piece here like I see it?

P.S. Originally posted on the ThankfulFor blog.

Doggy Gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Why do dogs wag their tails? According to the awesome Spott's Canine Miscellany, a pawrody by Mike Darton, the reason is as follows:

“ Dogs wag their tails to communicate. When they're alone, they do not wag their tails no matter how they are feeling. So the wagging of a tail is the delivering of information, and it is certainly not the simple radiating of enjoyment that many people suppose it to be. Very often, in the presence of a human, a wagging tail is a conscious expression of gratitude - for attention, for food, for an anticipated pleasure. ”

As if I needed another reason to love dogs! And who do you think we have to thank for me coming across this awesome piece of info? It's the fabulous Ellinelle who sent me this lovely book as a gift a while back. I have the most amazing blogger friends!

The image is a cool 'Dog Gratitude' card from maggiesstationery.com

Thank Your Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:37:00 +0000

A very sweet and heartwarming video from Michael Marantz and his team, who went around New York City asking real people on the street to say thank you to their mothers:

"So many terrific responses, some unexpected, some adorable, all brought a huge smile to my face."

What would you thank your mom for?

Gratitude: the Interior Post

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:07:00 +0000

How about decorating your place with a little bit of gratitude? Love these thankful interior ideas! Which one is your favorite?

Via houzz.com

Via beckyhiggins.com

Via urbangrace.com

Thankful Flavors

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:01:00 +0000

How do you like these awesome thankful jam jar labels? The favors read "Thank you berry much!", "Thanks for a peachy evening!", "Thanks for being so sweet!", "Thanks for jammin’ with us!" and "Thanks for a jam-tastic evening!" Step by step instructions of creating those here and more label ideas here.

A Moment of Appreciation

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:47:00 +0000

The tune describes my mood right now perfectly. And it's not something that happened today or recently. It's the old, and the new, and what hasn't happened yet... Everything has just been falling into place lately. And if back then it felt too romantic to me when an ex would turn on some music and dance with me in the midst of the living room, us back from a dinner out, all dressed up but with no shoes on, and he would sing to me... Right now it would feel just right. I appreciate it all even more now.

It's So Cool Hearing From You

noreply@blogger.com (Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:48:00 +0000

What are you thankful for today? The curiosity is inspired by a fellow thankful person Polina D. who shared her words of thanks on the TTYP Facebook page recently (Thanks, Polina!). Just read how beautiful:

“ I had a 1hr totally useless stroll this morning and for a second I felt like I could smell the sea! It was this amazing salty, fishy kind of smell that put a huge smile on my face because I instantly thought of all the countless summer days I had spent fishing on a boat, swimming for hours, roasting mussels and eating tons of sea urchins. I remember my Dad helping me navigate the boat and that funny captain who would always sail with us was watching me and calling me a pirate... You know, these memories make my eyes teary... and it's not because it's all gone, but because it really happened to me. And for that I am grateful. ”