{"id":1577,"date":"2011-10-17T23:40:14","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T03:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/?p=1577"},"modified":"2011-10-18T08:24:56","modified_gmt":"2011-10-18T12:24:56","slug":"gratitude-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1\" alt=\"\" width=\"101\" height=\"239\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dipping back into the well of wisdom courtesy of the wondrous word wrangler,\u00a0Rob Breszny, author of <strong><em>Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0&#8220;Nothing primes your ecstatic skill better than invoking and expressing thanks. So consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude Fests. \u00a0During these orgies of appreciation, you could confer praise and respect on the creatures, both human and otherwise, that have played seminal roles in inspiring you to become yourself. Who teaches and helps you? Who sees you for who you really are? Who nudges you in the direction of your fuller destiny and awakens you to your signature truths? Who loves you brilliantly? &#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In this moment, I am full to overflowing with an atty-tood of gratitude. Celebrations galore from last week that lopped over into this week&#8230;heck, I&#8217;ll take any reason and no reason at all to celebrate life. In the past few weeks, my book, The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming the Ordinary was birthed, just as I was about to turn 53.\u00a0 Such perfect timing. Book signings, congrats from family, friends and &#8216;strangers&#8217; who are becoming family of choice; honoring the impact that these words, which are really divinely inspired,\u00a0 and for which I am grateful to be a channel, have been having on people&#8217;s lives is blow me out of the water amazing.\u00a0 My birthday was honored, as with delight, I received hundreds of well wishes from facebook friends, serenades from friends and my sister, a yummy, homecooked dinner from my son, topped off with a decadently delightful birthday cake (all fat and calories removed, of course). This Saturday had me welcoming sweet\u00a0 friends\u00a0into my home for a birthday, pot luck, music gathering. I can still feel the ripples of light, love and energy all around the place. As I gazed around the room, I beheld people from the various overlapping soul circles, some meeting for the first time. Throughout the evening, I stepped back and just observed their interactions, determining that there was a reaon why we were drawn into each others&#8217; lives. I consider my friends my treasures and enjoy sharing the wealth. On that night, I felt like the richest woman in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight I had a &#8216;same time next year&#8217; birthday dinner with a friend with whom I first crossed paths 7 1\/2 years ago and whose impact is woven through my life and so much of who I have become. I marveled with him, at the synchronicities and life lessons that have been a huge part of the gift of our friendship.\u00a0 As we were eating, I had given him 2 copies of the book; one to give to his mother who is also a friend. I had serendipitously placed a third book in the cloth shopping bag before I got out of the car, not quite sure why, but guessing that by the end of the night, I would discern the reason. My friend held up the book and proudly informed the waitress that I just published.\u00a0 She replied &#8220;In ten words or less, tell me what the book is about.&#8221;\u00a0 Being a writer and speaker, of course I was not able to limit it to ten words.\u00a0 I shared briefly and then told her that the best way to discover was to read the book. Naturally, SHE was the reason I had brought along the third book. When I got back to the car, three hours later (the time flew by as we meandered through various subjects) I noticed a message on my phone from another friend who had inspired the term Bliss Mistress, \u00a0with his beautiful feedback on the book. He too sounded like a proud papa.<\/p>\n<p>As I consider all of the people in my life, I note that they, in one way or another, fit neatly in response to those questions Rob asked at the start of this entry. If I listed them one by one,\u00a0 it would take hours or even days to express.\u00a0\u00a0 I feel loved brilliantly by them and I offer it back to them with grace and tenderness.<\/p>\n<p>My cup runneth over as I indulge in &#8216;an orgy of appreciation&#8217;~<\/p>\n<p>Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant<\/p>\n<p><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rdG618TMc5E\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rdG618TMc5E<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &nbsp; Dipping back into the well of wisdom courtesy of the wondrous word wrangler,\u00a0Rob Breszny, author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings \u00a0&#8220;Nothing primes your ecstatic skill better than invoking and expressing thanks. So consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,1,13,70,49,3,4,30,17,38],"tags":[952,951,950,825,573],"class_list":["post-1577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-affirmations","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-blissfull-thinking","category-community","category-friendship","category-gratitude","category-inspiration","category-love","category-relationships","category-transformation","tag-kind-and-generous","tag-natalie-merchant","tag-pronoia-is-the-antidote-for-paranoia-how-the-whole-world-is-conspiring-to-shower-you-with-blessings","tag-rob-breszny","tag-the-bliss-mistress-guide-to-transforming-the-ordinary-into-the-extraordinary-into-the-extraordinary"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gratitude Fest - The Bliss Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gratitude Fest - The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &nbsp; Dipping back into the well of wisdom courtesy of the wondrous word wrangler,\u00a0Rob Breszny, author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings \u00a0&#8220;Nothing primes your ecstatic skill better than invoking and expressing thanks. So consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-18T03:40:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-10-18T12:24:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EdieWeinstein1\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gratitude Fest - The Bliss Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gratitude Fest - The Bliss Blog","og_description":"&nbsp; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &nbsp; Dipping back into the well of wisdom courtesy of the wondrous word wrangler,\u00a0Rob Breszny, author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings \u00a0&#8220;Nothing primes your ecstatic skill better than invoking and expressing thanks. So consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html","og_site_name":"The Bliss Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga","article_published_time":"2011-10-18T03:40:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-10-18T12:24:56+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1"}],"author":"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EdieWeinstein1","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html","name":"Gratitude Fest - The Bliss Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1","datePublished":"2011-10-18T03:40:14+00:00","dateModified":"2011-10-18T12:24:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/#\/schema\/person\/edcd643a643a9ca91adb1e8f9e177386"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1","contentUrl":"http:\/\/t0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpeGfn-k-8elxY0iUAo_13nLqTd_9Xn-WzGk-bSnY2UJxdRRM1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2011\/10\/gratitude-fest.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gratitude Fest"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/","name":"The Bliss Blog","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Edie Weinstein","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/#\/schema\/person\/edcd643a643a9ca91adb1e8f9e177386","name":"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/0d6\/0d6cd7619da51a9a40cc705280e88f9cx96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/0d6\/0d6cd7619da51a9a40cc705280e88f9cx96.jpg","caption":"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW"},"description":"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW is a colorfully creative journalist, inspiring transformational speaker, licensed social worker, interfaith minister, editor, radio host, BLISS coach, event producer, Cosmic Concierge, the author of The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary and co-author of Embraced By the Divine: The Emerging Woman\u2019s Gateway to Power, Passion and Purpose. She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. 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