Treats from Happy Cakes

Yes, today is my birthday. And while I’m seriously excited to spend the day doing whatever pleases me (namely, perusing Van Gogh pieces at the Denver Art Museum, sipping cocktails at The Brown Palace and enjoying a romantic dinner at one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Denver, all while wearing my beloved purple velvet pants—yes, purple velvet!), I’m also pretty excited about my intention for this year.

I like to think of my birthday as my New Year’s celebration, because it truly is the beginning of my own new year. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but every year, I do set an intention on the anniversary of my life. This year, I want it to be “Practice gratitude.” Because being grateful really is a practice: something I have to work on every day and something that I may never perfect, but hopefully through continual practice, I can become better at it, letting gratitude become the filter for my thoughts, then for my feelings and then for my actions.

Ever since Thanksgiving last week, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of gratitude, especially since it’s so directly related to our happiness. When we really recognize all the small blessings in our lives, as Piero Ferrucci wisely put it: we discover that happiness is already here. It already exists, unsuspected. Right in front of our eyes.