I’m a huge fan of Barre3. It’s a fantastic workout. Several Fridays ago, an awesome person at the Bend studio purchased gift cards to the coffee shop next door for everyone who showed up to class that day.

That’s six classes worth of gift cards!

It was a kind, anonymous act of generosity, and celebration of community. I was extra happy I got myself to class that day! (Why does gifted coffee taste better??)

So, fast forward to last week and I was in class again, doing some ridiculously difficult move at the bar. I started thinking about the anonymous gifter and how cool it was of them to do what they did.

I felt a rush of gratitude and inspiration. I started plotting out fun ways I could do something to follow in their footsteps and pay it forward. Then I heard the teacher call my name. Lo and behold, I had been randomly selected from the class list and she was crossing the room to hand me another gift certificate to a lovely local boutique!

This kind of thing doesn’t usually happen to me. It got my attention. To be given another gift in the very moment when I was thinking grateful thoughts about the first gift was pretty amazing. It was like a gift-gratitude-gift layer cake!

Class continued. After class, I did pay it forward, (in a small way). And that felt just as sweet as receiving.

Lately I’ve been appreciating the power of pausing to notice and celebrate when things click, when I benefit from the unearned kindness of a stranger, or when moments of synchronicity happen. Do you have a fun story like this to share or something to celebrate? I’d love to hear from you!

Or, maybe gratitude feels out of reach right now. I’ve heard from several people recently who are facing extremely difficult life situations. If that’s you too, it would be an honor to support you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.