THE ATTITUDE IS GRATITUDE By Sara Stepa

Hey Party People, I’m sure many of us have felt the feeling of excitement and joy when we get something back we haven’t had for a period of time. And I KNOW there are A LOT of things we’ve been missing since COVID hit. What are some of the things you’ve missed most? For me, it has definitely been people, and I don’t just mean my friends or co-workers, I just mean PEOPLE, in general. What’s been very weird over the years is that I have transformed from a complete and utter introvert to a mega extrovert. I now 100% recharge in settings when I am with people, and of course more so with “my people.” This could be in a professional setting, or social setting; its places where I feel like my most confident self and I thrive. Since COVID hit, obviously these social settings have been off the table. But now that we are beginning to re-open I am SO EXCITED to see people. I am happy to see 4 th street, the amazing community I live, full of life again. I am happy to be able to hit a pati...

Hey Party People, The sun is BACK here in YYC and I cannot express how much joy those blue skies bring me. Dreary days have an impact on our moods, but when they begin to dissipate it transforms not only our external environment but our internal state as well. I left my apartment Saturday morning and the fresh smell of rain was so refreshing, it smelled like a flourishing forest even though I live in the concrete jungle of YYC. As the day went on I took notice of the clouds dissipating and enjoyed a beautiful evening outside with clear blue skies and crisp air. It might seem small, but taking notice of how the external environment impacts your mood can be very eye opening. Pay attention to how you feel this week with sunny skies in the forecast, or if you’re elsewhere that doesn’t have sunny days coming up, how does the forecast impact your mood. I know we can’t change the weather, but we can change how we view it and how you let it makes you feel. On that note, how do you feel,...

Hey Party People, Well, it’s a bit of a dreary week here in YYC with cloudy skies and rain. I said to someone today, the rain is here to help water all our trees and flowers so they can burst out and fill our lives with colour! Who else can ’t wait for the colours!! We’ve all heard sayings like there is always sunshine after the rain, or we can’t know joy without true sadness, and it's true. But when we’re living the dark days, or trekking through the storm it's hard to remember that it will get better. What we forget is that we have to keep going. If we simply stop trying we will stay stuck. We’ll stay stuck in the sadness, stuck in the anxiety, stuck in the storm. Now if you need to stay stuck for a while, be stuck, but at some point, if you want more for your life again, you have to take a step. You have to move forward. I think so many of us are lost and don’t know what the next step is. When our lives get flipped upside down, OF COURSE, we’re going to feel lost, of...