Gratitude:

Just as Yom Kippur is a chance to think about where we went wrong in the year gone by, Thanksgiving is a chance to think about where the universe did right by us, and to contemplate our gratitude for the goodness that makes our lives worth living. So, in no consciously intentional order, Yoga Chickie would like to say, "Baruch atah Adonai, thank you God"...for:

1. My kids (healthy, happy, brilliant, warm, loving, kind, adorable, not necessarily in any particular order)

2. My home (so lucky I am to have a nice, warm place to live that looks the way I want it to look, that is big enough to house my family and all of our stuff, from which I can see a body of water, provided I look really hard, and the phases of the moon, and which is in close proximity to two wonderful parks and one of the best public schools in the city, with some of the best teachers in the country)

3. My family (all of 'em...even the ones who bug the crap out of me...they're my home)

4. My friends (and in particular, but in no particular order: Kim who took me to chemo every single time, and who dragged me out of my apartment more than once when I had no other way of getting myself up off my sofa; Heidi, who found 90 people in three different states to cook for my family when it was too much of an effort for me to even call in a delivery order , Abby and Erica, who never judged me in spite of some bad judgements on my part and Paula, Lynn and Lesley, who inspire me as a human being and prove to me that I can be more than just a housewife)

5. My dog (who crawls under the covers at night and sleeps on my feet)

6. High heels (at least I can look tall...ish)

7. Stretch jeans (hallelujah! now THAT's comfort!), the low-rise cut (finally, something flattering for the short-waisted), and Hudson Jeans and True Religion Brand in particular (which somehow manage to be low-rise without butt-crack, and which flatter like no other jeans I have ever worn)

8. Bikram Yoga NYC (for detoxing me through the last three months of chemo and pointing me solidly heading down the yoga road)

9. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (for Ashtanga Yoga, of course, and for inspiring my inspired teachers)

10. Yola of Some Like It Hot Yoga (for giving me my very first regular yoga teaching gig)

11. Cadbury chocolate and Double Bubble Bubble Gum

12. Steaming cups of hazelnut-flavored coffee

13. Dr. H (my oncologist, who gave me all the options known to the medical community and then allowed me to chart my course, who continues to support my wellness and who has always had compassion for the young woman in the cancer patient).

14. The NYC real estate market (for giving the Husband so much work)

15. Marisa Schwartzman, Paula Rogovin and Tereza Slezakova (Brian's Kindergarten teacher in 2002-03, Brian and Adam's First Grade Teacher, and our nanny 2001-03, respectively, for filling in the gaps for me)

16. David Kelman, Christopher Hildebrandt and the Yoga Sutra family (for giving a home to my Yoga For Breast Cancer Survivors program and for their friendliness, kindness, respect and professionalism, which qualities are not as easy to come by as one might think on planet yoga)

17. Everyone who has disagreed with me or in some way challenged me to examine my views more closely or from a different perspective

18. Rabbi Ken Stern from Park Avenue Synagogue (for his continuing kindness towards my family during my dad's treatment for lung cancer).

19. Cantor Daniel Singer from Temple Shaaray Tefila (for inspiring Adam to pursue his passion for music).

20. The Husband (for helping Brian to throw a baseball, dribble a basketball and be a good teammate).

That's all that pops into my mind at the moment. But I know there is much more to be thankful for, so consider this a mere sampling...

YC