Today we officially enter what has become widely known as Gratitude Season. We collectively reflect on the year and “live, laugh, love” our way into the warm and fuzzy feeling associated with being thankful for blessings.

This year has been very successful for me and many others, but I am sure we have all faced some painful hardships. I have suffered my fair share of public humiliations, as some of my readers may know.

However, this year, I find myself glowing. Not from anger, embarrassment or resentment lighting me up from within (well, maybe a little) but from the peace of hard lessons learned — finally. There is a satisfaction in knowing that one finally gets it. The pain that comes with bad choices isn’t happening again. The cycle has ended, and you can rise from the ashes a better, stronger person.

As November comes to a close and we enter deeper into the holiday season, gratitude is something we all explore. This past month, Yoga-45 invited the members of the Gaylord community to participate in a gratitude challenge. When researching the challenge, Yoga-45 found a Harvard University study that revealed a daily gratitude practice had physical, spiritual, and social benefits. Surprising, no?! These benefits include stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, better sleep, general alertness, positivity, and happiness, as well as, increasing compassion, generosity, and creating more forgiving natures.