Hey all you beautiful H Opp family!
So today in America is all about gratitude. Thanksgiving.
I have found that a lot of sadness that shows up in my own life is a result of us focusing on sad topics. But what about all of the other stuff? We all have so much to be happy about. We are alive. We have food to eat. We have family. We have friends. And so much more.
A ton of studies have shown time and time again that being grateful is absolutely the #1 component to living a happy life. Science proves it, so let's see what happens when all of us can throw our gratitude into a pot and stir it around.
So ... what is amazing about YOUR life? Who do you love? Who and what are you so happy about and honored to have as a part of your life? What we focus on becomes bigger. So what are you grateful for? I'd love to hear from YOU.
Even if you are seeing this post after Thanksgiving, please post what you are thankful for here. We'd all love to hear it. :)
Big hugs and gratitude to you. Let's make every day a Thanksgiving, shall we? Now pass the stuffing. :)
I am thankful for all of you, who are courageously and lovingly here to support yourselves in healing and growth while also supporting one another. It's such a beautiful thing to witness happening, human beings coming together in suffering to heal together. That's what community is all about. And I'm in awe of it. I'm honored to be able to build this around my purpose in life and continue growing this movement larger and larger. It feels so good to love so big. That's what life is all about.
Beyond this immediate H Opp family, I'm so, so grateful for having such a loving mother and father to teach me what it means to love and accept. They are such awesome teachers for me, teaching through living. I'm so grateful for such deep, rich friendships in my life. Friends I can be my true self around, bring my pain and my inspiration to, and everything in between. And be held, loved and accepted with all of it. I'm so grateful to be alive, even when living hurts. Even the pain of life sometimes reminds me that I'm here and I'm feeling. I'm grateful for being able to DANCE. I recently learned how to blues dance and am absolutely in love with it. There's the feeling of being in the flow that shoots chills down my spine, which erupts into goosebumps on my skin when the song builds to crescendo and drops into audio bliss ... I'm so thankful to live in North Carolina, a perfect mix between city life and nature. To live so close to a babbling brook that I can take walks down and bask in the rays of sunshine dappling the woods. I am so, so grateful to be open-hearted and available to what life has to give me, in all its variety. Thank you for reading this. It feels good to share. I'm buzzing now. :)
I am thankful for all the people who have come into my life (even briefly) this year. Every one of you have given me the chance to look deeper into who I am, and who I want to be. I am truly blessed to have known every one of you.
I'm thankful for my beautiful daughters and my amazingly funny, goofy granddaughter... and for my ex-husband, who is still a good friend and a wonderful father for them. We may not still be married, but we are still "Family".
I am also grateful for my dance community. My passion is West Coast Swing... I have another whole community of THOUSANDS of people who I have met over the years who are some of the best people I've ever met.
@Adrial - we MUST dance when I meet you - I've done a bit of Blues dancing as well as Argentine Tango and I love it ALL!
I hope you all have a wonderful day with friends and family, filled with laughter and joy.
It was my first year cooking a turkey and i am thankful i did not burn that sucker. My turkey came out awesome! I am also thankful for my two kids who have saved me from myself so many times and made me a better person even when I'm the one that should be trying to be their inspiration. I'm thankful for my mom for always being a peacemaker and being helpful. My dad who even though he's a jackass he is hilarious and and does the sweetest things when you least expect him too. My baby brother cuz without him life would be just a lot less fun. My firstborns grandparents who treat both my kids like their grandchildren. I'm also grateful fir facebook because it is better yhan any local newspaper or enquirer you will ever subscribe too. And this forum just cuz yall are cool. Happy thanksgiving yall!
I'm thankful for my herpes diagnosis, it could have been worse. And without it I could not have my second family, all of you.
It's almost 2 a.m. after the Thanksgiving holiday, and I am MOST thankful right now for sweet wine! I know, I know, alcohol can encourage an o/b...but you know, there are just some holidays that call for a nice glass of sweet wine (or 2 or 3) :) , and reflecting back on the blessings of the day: For the diversity I saw today in friends who are like family...they cover all the colors of the rainbow, and yet I am able to love them equally as individuals and value their connection to my life and mine to theirs...For the deer that hit my car tonight on the way home, because it allowed me to witness the humanity of a couple of good ol' WV redneck boys who know how to be humane...For my friend Beth who reminded me that overthinking things impedes making the good memories that come from embracing the moment, and that embracing the moment doesn't have to equal irresponsibility...For my mom, who even with all her brokenness, loves me to the very best of her ability...For my own recognition today of the value a single person has in this world we live in...For my new Italian friend, Carmelinda, who reminded me of the importance of just simply walking...and for my journey with H o/b symptoms, because H has provided the opportunity to look into a mirror and see what was there all along - a woman who ached to be loved, valued and accepted...and for my journey with H o/b symptoms, for showing me that the one and only person who can make me feel loved, valued and accepted is ME! And in realizing that, I become FREE to love, value and accept another...should we find each other! Happy (end of) Thanksgiving my new friends!
"overthinking things impedes making the good memories that come from embracing the moment, and that embracing the moment doesn't have to equal irresponsibility."
Yesssssssss! Perfect! Thank you for that!
:) Great thread!
I am grateful for my wonderful parents and sister who accept and love me unconditionally, irrespective of anything that might happen in my life.
I am grateful for the experiences that have made me an open, cheerful, liberal and optimistic human being.
I am grateful for dark chocolate
for all the wonderful music that makes me get up and dance..
warm beaches, good food, sex, the musty smell of old books in libraries, long walks, alcohol, passionate conversations with friends.
herpes for setting me on a path of compassion and acceptance of the self. And for opening the doors to this wonderful community of people.
I am grateful that I have the privilege of first-world problems...moaning over a skin condition, complaining about the weather, cursing at public transportation, being annoyed at the not so fast free wi-fi in a coffee shop...
Finally, I am grateful that I am at a place in the world and my own life where I have the time and means to experience and live a full and happy life....to invest in myself...acquire wisdom...build lasting and deep bonds with people.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Mwah.
i am thankful to have found The (h) Opp and its creator Mister Dale. i am thankful for my family who have housed me, embraced me, guided me through the past 3 years (a challenging 3 years). i am thankful for the 46th street clubhouse in NYC (they know who they are). i am thankful for my health: i have a solid, functioning brain, 4 limbs with all digits intact, lungs to breathe with, a heart to feel with, ETC. i am thankful for my bed!!!! i am thankful for all the work opps that have come my way (and the ones that will be approaching). i am thankful for allthe entries i've read here in the forum; you are all an inspiring bunch. i am thankful for my sobreity and my higher power. i am eternally grateful for my existence here on planet Earth (never a dull moment).
much love!
C
I am thankful for this place, because I feel at last I fit somewhere. I have a deep connection with a whole group of people on here that I have never had before in my life. I feel I am understood !! maybe its because like Areal I am finally finding my true self and accepting me, and you have all helped me tremendously. Your words of encouragement help eliminate my self doubt that creeps back up from time to time, and Areal when you told me to stop apologising for sabotaging a post , I realised that yet again I am acting out learnt behaviour from childhood. Saying sorry for who I am in the fear people will be thinking negative things about me and wondering who do I think I am ..bla bla.. so thanks for making me realise that and snapping it in the bud.
I am thankful to my son who grounds me and makes me want to do the best I can. He makes me laugh and he pulls me up when I'm being ridiculous, and he helps me live in the present and keeps me on my toes.
Im thankful to my sister who is also my best friend and is the one person who does understand and get me. I love her so much and miss her dearly.
I am thankful for flights, because she is flying back home for Christmas yey yey
I am thankful for chocolate, ice cream, quotes, shoes and the occasional vodka and coke !
I am thankful to my true friends who have stuck by me through good and bad
I'm thankful for life lessons I have learnt
I am thankful for books, my legs and lungs to run, my eyesight and hearing
I am thankful I have a job I love which also make me grateful for what I have health wise. I am thankful I have a roof over my head.
I am thankful for my mum. She is a super grandma and try so hard.
I'm thank full for laughter because it is the best medicine going :-D
Hello all! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! I am certainly enjoying this Friday break! Much needed rest! So here I go... I am thankful for being able to support myself financially, physically, and spiritually. I am grateful for my job. The fact that I have a fantastic day job but then had this crazy idea that I could get paid to write and just sorta did it... Successfully. Crazy!! I adore writing. I feel blessed to be able to get paid to do what I love. I love my family. I love my crazy two brothers, my parents and my brilliant children. I may be a single mom but we make a fantastic family. I love my best friends who have become my family. I love that I can walk down the road from my house and reach the ocean. I love that I can have breakfast on my porch and look out and see the ocean in the distance. I love running. I am
Thankful for being able to run. I am thankful I get to teach yoga and am able to choreograph some awesome flows for people. Im happy that I'm alive. Im happy and thankful that I'm healthy. I'm
Thankful that I'm able to live the life ive always dreamed sans partner or whichever. I am thankful that I actually love my heart and have surrounded myself with the same type of loving folks. Which brings me to all of you. I'm thankful for your support. I'm
Thankful that it could be a trying one am moment of doubt for me and all of you are a discussion away. :) I'm very grateful for all of you!
I am thankful for this site and the support and encouragement I have received. This has been my little "God please help me" place to go to. I am thankful for all of you. I am thankful for sleep. I am thankful for medication. I am thankful for the peace this site has brought me.
I am thankful to fell and see my real selve...its not much but i am happpy for that...even i dont have a real family but thats more i could acpect the last 20 years.i learned a lot...and i still will do
I am so thankful for having found the H Opportunity and most importantly, Adrial. Although he says that only I can save myself, I truly felt that Adrial came into my life at a crucial time, when I was without hope and in a lot of pain. For that I am truly grateful for you Adrial. Thank you for creating this beautiful place of acceptance and love. I adore you.
I am so thankful for my small but growing business, my wonderful group of friends & family who I confided in when I was diagnosed recently and have shown unconditional love (in fact not one person has batted an eye but instead said "Oh I know someone...". You all know the end of that phrase ! :)
I am thankful for being able to dance, which brings me unlimited joy and is my never-ending source of happiness.
And I am thankful for my little fur babies Beau & Charlie, who have given me such joy in taking care of them.
I am thankful that through herpes, I have finally looked my fears and limiting beliefs in the eye and realized, with Adrial's help, that I don't have to 'fix' anything. I can just be.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
PS my real name is Candice ;)
I am thankful for my amazing daughter, my fantastic family, the women who staunchly stand beside me in good & bad times, the old friends who've made it a point to be closer, for my good fortune, health and generally awesome life :)
I am thankful for my awesome new husband and my daughters and our rottie, close friends and a job. and I guess having H, because it has taught me to take life a little less stressful and to take better care of myself and my husband. I am also thankful for this site.
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful gratitudes here! I feel like I know all of you on that much deeper of a level hearing what you are thankful for in your lives. It's a beautiful thing when we can shift our attention to what is beautiful about our lives. It can be a big shift.
So something you need to know about me: I'm addicted to TED talks. :) So I pulled up the TED talks app yesterday and the featured talk was entitled "Want to be happy? Be grateful." It's a simple, yet powerful talk. And how perfect that halfway through the talk, the word he uses the most is OPPORTUNITY. I think we're onto something here. ;)
Hi All,
I'm thankful for my wonderful life, awesome friends old and new, my family whom loves me unconditionally, my sisters who are my best friends, my dog, my job working with children, travel, and the simple things in life. I'm blessed that the person whom I've spent quite a deal with lately accepts me for me! He is a wonderful man and I'm very happy to have met him! So yes, ladies and gentlemen, it can happen! Stay positive, have faith and confidence in yourself, and always be yourself! Also, I'm thankful for the words of encouragement and support on this site! You have helped me to see that I'm not alone and that there are people like yourself who care!
Daisy
@Josie - "that I don't have to 'fix' anything. I can just be"
As I learn to walk in the reality that is exclusively "me", these words ring as VERY true!
Thanks Josie!
Wow! Again such a great topic. I sat and pondered the thought of what makes me happy...I am blessed to have the strength and passion in my soul. I am so thankful as I am an eternal optimist. It brings me great happiness that in my life I found my birth family and we are very close. I am thankful for all of the simple things in life. My health my family and friends, music and God. I'm just happy living a normal and happy life. Peace and security give me great comfort. I am thankful for laughter and that I have been in love. I love making people feel good. I love making someone's day a better one. Finally I am so happy and thankful for the ability to love and forgive myself as well as others. I am thankful for hope and that anything is possible...:)
Ah, good to see you on this post, Noel. I've missed you being here. :)
P.S. You are an eternal optimist, aren't you? A big ball of energetic optimism! ;)
Today i am thankful for adrial removing all those freakin advertising threads that were clogging up the news feed with damn flip flops from Jamaica and clogs and stuff. haha yall have a good day!
Oh, you didn't know I was selling Jamaican flip flops? :) Yes, I do my best to circumvent any and all flip flop spammers that find their way in. ;)
hahah Peach you did it again :-D :-D xx
Like that guy and what he say but now I know how bad my german accent sounds( at least he sound german hehehhe )
It's the 1 year anniversary of my HSV-2 diagnosis and I am thankful for so many things!! OMG how I did I struggle through the first 4 months after the diagnosis, with my heart broken, my body itching, my self image destroyed and my future outlook bleak.
I am thankful for my amazing friends who helped me through this difficult time. I am thankful for my parents who raised me with love which makes it easy for me to love myself and to see that the H does not define who I am. I am thankful for my strength and my ability to pull myself out of the hole I was in and to not be discouraged. I am thankful that I continued dating despite the fear of disclosures.
More than anything, I am thankful that I met my boyfriend (who's not infected) ~7 months ago, and that our relationship continues to grow and to become more intimate and amazing as time goes by. I am thankful that I met his family on Thanksgiving and that they totally love me. I am thankful for the countless adventures my boyfriend takes me on and that we are planning a big trip for Christmas. Oh, and I'm thankful for the great sex that we have ;)
I am also thankful for seeing things more in perspective now, for appreciating life, for being a more thoughtful and pleasant human being and a much better partner than I was before.
I am also really thankful for this site! I found it tremendously helpful and supportive in the months after my diagnosis. I am not on here that much anymore though because the H is not playing a big role in my life anymore.
Have a great day everybody!
Hey again, Angel! Welcome back to our fam! So glad to have you back blasting us with your gratitude! ;)
I'm so glad you were able to turn everything around and decide to live the beautiful life you wanted. I love success stories. :) I'm thankful for your courage from the heart that had you go through what you needed to go through to make it to the other side stronger, more self-loving and inspired by life. Thank you for jumping back in to come full circle to show us what the Opportunity is all about. :) Big hugs!
