H E A LT H & B E AU T Y
GRATITUDE By Lyss Stern
Holidays to me are all about spending quality time OTG (off the grid) like we do at our very popular camp retreats for moms. I am personally truly giving gratitude for my own and my family’s health this holiday season. And with the holidays approaching, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in a few days of thanks. But why only a few days. The gratitude that puts smiles on our faces so often becomes ancient history in five minutes or ten or maybe in an hour. Maybe it even lasts a day, but it usually doesn’t persist. It’s surface. It’s made up for holiday table talk. But I know there is more. There is more than just holiday conversation. There is more to be grateful for. For some, it’s the sound of their baby crying every morning at 5 a.m. because it took years to conceive. No early morning baby wails will ever take away the joy of having created a son or daughter. For others, it’s the rev of a car’s engine, because it’s proof that they built their businesses and made enough money to buy the car of their dreams. And yet for others, it’s simply the sound of a fork scraping the bottom of a bowl, as it is the sound of having been able to provide food for a family. What these past 18 months have taught me . . . and hopefully all of us . . . is that gratitude is not something that is solely for the holidays. That’s why gratitude journals and books about doses of appreciation can be found everywhere, from gas station checkout counters to the shelves of Bed Bath & Beyond. That’s why therapists and health gurus are touting to their clients that what will make them happiest in life is to look within and find what it is that they are most grateful for. And that’s why we created a space for moms to step away for a weekend, take a break, take a breath, and look inward. That’s why our upcoming Diva Moms getaways are far more important than fighting the crowds at Whole Foods and
sifting through food blogs to find the perfect apple pie recipe. That is all fleeting. What you’ll gain from our OTG weekends is everlasting. Join us and our crew and take a weekend for you. Gratitude makes a difference. But it’s more than a holiday table go-around. Make it a part of your daily life. Find gratitude. Share gratitude! u Follow Lyss on Instagram @diva_moms Social Life
