Be gracious, be grateful, be happy.

After 90 minutes of intensely hot yoga this morning, our teacher once again left us with a few words of the wise:

"To be proud of what you've received, or envy what others have, is to rob yourself of peace of mind."

It sounds nice when we read it over in our heads, but what are those words really saying?

Being proud of what you've accomplished is one thing, but being proud of what you've received is another. Essentially, it's bragging. We all do it. Especially around this time of year, it's common for us to share our new material possessions, showing them off to those around us in an unconscious effort to make others covet what we have.

Be thankful for the good things you've received, because they are a symbol of how others care for you. But don't let that gratitude transform into a piece of who you are. A set of manicured nails, designer shoes or a new car don't make us who we are. Let those be your own little enjoyments - they should make no difference in the opinions of those around you, and therefore, are not relevant in a balanced life.

And seemingly worse, there are those that do that to you! There's always that one friend, coworker or family member who is intent on showing off their new item or bragging about their new gift. It can be particularly frustrating to compare lives with those around you in terms of material items, because it always seems like someone else has something that you deserve. Whether it be a great job, expensive shopping spree or iPad, it will never be a fair comparison. Someone will always have something that you want, end of story. It's learning to let your own life be enough that will bring you true balance and peace.

It all comes back to one of my favorite quotes:

"The key to happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles."

Make a list of all that is wonderful in your life, and let the things that sadden you and stress you out fall to the back of your mind. Those little worries are not what life is about! Fill your days with worries, and your life will be one big worry.

Trust me, I am the first person to be guilty of this. I constantly am so stressed about my time spent at work that I rarely enjoy my hours spent away from the office! But I have to realize that those are my hours. Time is truly a commodity, and before the clock ticks away, we need to make a conscious decision to be happy.

Be thankful for what you have, find true appreciation in your life through those around you, and most of all, love yourself enough to make your life worthwhile. Go to yoga. Give yourself a spa treatment. Spend a day going on a long hike or bike ride. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.

Always,

j.cole (spiritually evolving twentysomething)

It's turkey time.

Mmmm. Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole and my personal favorite, Momma's sweet potatoes.

What better way to celebrate our families than eating ourselves into a coma? Every year, I leave my aunt's house with a full belly and a sleepy head, no matter what time it is. It literally seems to me like we enter into some type of loopy food coma at the end of the night.

Exhibit A: Every Thanksgiving, after glorious second helpings and a full plate of dessert, the women in my family gather around the table and sort through all the enticing bargains of Black Friday. We Polish-Italians are a serious shopping family, and if there's a sale, we don't want to miss out. Let's just say we are the crazies wearing running shoes, dodging other eager shoppers at Kohl's for the new Guitar Hero Wii game at 4 a.m.

Regardless, last year my mom had an absolute fixation with Cuisinart products. Cuisinart this, Cuisinart that. It was all she ever wanted in a food processor, and Black Friday was the day to seize her dream.

My sister and I, giddy on cherry pie and turkey, found this absolutely hilarious, and created our entire Christmas lists based solely on the Cuisinart brand. Below is an actual Facebook post from that night. (Yes, we got home and Facebook'ed each other.)

CHRISTMAS LIST 2009:

1. Cuisinart iPod Player
2. Cuisinart Earrings
3. A Cuisinart bathing suit complete with Cuisinart beach towel and flip flops.
4. A "#1 Cuisinart Lover" Mug
5. Cuisinart Lamp (I love lamp)
6. A Green Screen Cuisinart Stand
7. Cuisinart Chapstick
8. A year's subscription to Cuisinart Magazine
9. A Blackhawks Cuisinart jersey
10. Clinique Cuisinart Makeup
11. A trip to the Cuisinart Factory

So....one can conclude we were a tad loopy that night, yes? Word on the street is that turkey actually contains some type of chemical that puts us to sleep, and thus, my theory was born. My sister and I, drunk on turkey, created the Cuisinart Thanksgiving legend.

But it turns out we're just total weirdos. According to a recent article on the LA Times, the idea that turkey is to blame is totally false.

"Eating any big meal, especially if you also drink alcohol, is likely to make you feel sleepy," psychologist Robin Kanarek at Tufts University says in "The food-mood connection."

Turkey has no special chemicals and puts us under no special Thanksgiving food coma spell. Hard to believe, but our subsequent year-long obsession with Cuisinart products was solely the result of good, sober, sisterly fun.

EatTurkey.com says Americans eat approximately 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving. What great turkey memories do you have?

Oh, the golden years of college.

As I was chatting with a soon-to-be college student tonight, I began reminiscing on my own treasured college years and the things I've learned during my experiences. A little bit of love, friendship, self-discovery and even a tad of responsibility and heartache, college truly is the time of your life in every way.

And then I got sad. Why did it have to end? And why can't I go back?!

The truth is, you don't really grow up in college. You think you do, with all of the new responsibilities you have and managing your own life. But it's exciting responsibilities! Being on your own, having so much freedom that you don't know what to do with yourself. Meeting new people, finding your social place in this world, discovering what you stand for and against, and most of all, who reminds you of the person you want to be most. College is a learning experience, but it's all the fun stuff.

It's afterwords that sucks.

So, at about the half way mark of my first year post-college, here are a few little life lessons I can offer to new/existing college students.

1. Study abroad. Spending four months of my life in Barcelona was by far the most confusing, eye-opening and downright amazing time of my life. You will never again get an opportunity like this in your lifetime, so take advantage of it while you can! Yes, it's scary. Yes, you'll probably get a bit homesick. But I can promise you that at the end of it all, you may not want to go home.

2. Get involved. Join a sorority, take dance classes, learn guitar or play in an intramural league. You may not realize it now, but you have so much free time in college! Take advantage of it! Find a hobby. Better yourself. You'll feel more accomplished at the end of it all if you have something like that to show for your time there.

3. Convince everyone around you that you are smart. If you do your homework, volunteer in class and go in for extra help during your professor's office hours (even if you don't need it), I guarantee you will do better on tests and papers than your classmates simply because you're expected to. Your professor will see you effort and reward you. Trust me - it works.

4. Go out. A lot. Tuesday night? That's okay. Wednesday night? That's fine, too. Some of my favorite memories of college were from unexpected Sunday Fun Days or the random Monday night that me and my best friends decided to belly up to the bar. Or the time that my best friend and I went out the night before our midterm and fell asleep at a coffee shop the next morning pretending to "study." I got an A+ on that test!

5. Make friends. A LOT of friends. Meet as many new people as you can. Don't discriminate! Go get coffee with that girl in your class or go out for drinks with new friends from work. The more people close to you, the more that place will feel like home, and the more great experiences you will have to look back on.

And overall, treasure it. Because trust me, before you know it, it will be over!

Always,

j.cole (your college-loving twentysomething)

Two Gosselins expelled for "rage issues"

Alexis and Collin Gosselin, age 6, are reportedly being kicked out of their Pennsylvania private school for "rage issues" according to a recent article on the Huffington Post. Known for the Gosselin family's never ending participation in reality television, specifically their TLC reality series Jon and Kate Plus 8, the two youngsters will now be home schooled.

"They've fought with their peers, called them nasty names and made fun of other kids," a source told In Touch Weekly.

Apparently, Dad saw this coming from a mile away. Jon Gosselin recently "lashed out" at ex-wife Kate Gosselin for keeping the kids on the show despite evidence of emerging emotional and behavioral problems, even taking them to court to try to stop the filming. Unfortunately, his efforts failed, but his concern still stands, likely now accompanied with the concern of many others.

"Collin has such bad issues that he refused to get his picture taken at school because he's tired of being on-camera," the In Touch source said.

Although Kate alleges her "number one concern" is her children, I would say her actions speak otherwise. Obviously we know from past child star's later-in-life destructive outbursts that too much fame at a young age can never be good, especially while a child is still attempting to live normally and attend school with other children. In my opinion, these children are crying out for attention from the people they need it from most- their parents.

Dad, stop roaming the town with outrageously young females. Mom, quit pouncing on every reality T.V. opportunity that you get (and nipping and tucking like it's your job).

As I always say, actions speak louder than words.

j.cole

Politically correct "expert" says yoga is not for Christians

In a detailed rant overflowing with faulty assumptions, Rajiv Malhotra, a Hindu yoga practitioner, states that Christians are simply unfit to practice yoga due to contradicting ideological principles in both beliefs.

He states that while yoga may not be a religion, it is a "spiritual path" based on the idea that the body is a means "for reaching consciousness with the divine," and that "it sees the Christian fixations on history and the associated guilt, as bondage and illusions to be erased through spiritual practice." Therefore, he says because Christianity is based around the idea of the afterlife and yoga is based on the body's here and now, the notion of "Christian yoga" is an oxymoron.

Clearly, Mr. Malhotra's dislike for Christianity sways his view of the true core of the practice in which he calls himself an expert.

Afterall, both yoga and Christianity are built around the ideas of welcoming outsiders and being at peace; no hostility, no bipartisanship. You leave your yoga practice feeling calm and free of anger or burdens, and leave Sunday services feeling likewise. Yoga is about reflection; what can I do to be better in my daily life?

And for me, how can I be a better Christian?

Plus, I'm sure many can testify that the well-versed yogis and Christians we know will do anything to encompass an outsider into their spiritual practice. Therefore, why would there be exclusion?

Yoga has transformed from a small, Hindu practice to an international phenomenon loved and practiced by many across the globe. Principles of inner peace and self reflection permeate through the yoga experience, similar to the ideal mindset of a Christian.

True, yoga may be about the here and now and one's bodily experience as a means for divinity, but for Christianity, one's approach to the here and now is exactly what determines our salvation. So how could it not be relevant?

As my favorite yoga teacher always said, "the way you live your days is the way you live your life." As a Christian, I want to live a life full of peace, forgiveness and purity of heart, and for me, yoga helps bring that to my days.

Always,

j.cole (your favorite Christian yogi)

Homeowner protests foreclosure with a hunger strike

A Baltimore woman facing home foreclosure has been on a hunger strike since Monday morning to protest the national foreclosure crisis and others in her same situation.

Lauren Rymer, 32, planted herself across from the Maryland State House in Annapolis as a result of receiving a home foreclosure notice at her house last Tuesday. After not being able to keep up with monthly payments and exhausting all other options, Rymer became desperate.

"This is not about my story anymore," she said in an interview with the Huffingting Post. "It's about representing a lot of people who are going through this."

Rymer said she was denied a modification or refinance option by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and for some reason did not qualify for Obama's Home Affordable Modification Program. She bought her home on an interest-only loan in 2006 and, despite consistent employment, fell behind on payments after her property taxes increased by 55 percent.

Lucky for her, her rumbling tummy hasn't gone unnoticed. Rymer says she has been contacted on behalf of Gov. Martin O'Malley, and now hopes to give up the deed to her home instead of going through the foreclosure process.

Read the full article here.

Heated wine: A must-have holiday addition.

During a phenomenal dinner experience at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant last night, I got the chance to try a heated holiday wine. Sounds weird, I know. I was a bit skeptical at first, too. But let me tell you- WOW. Absolutely awesome. I may or may not have returned for sample refills. Lucky for me the sample guy had a man crush on my boyfriend and was distracted by their "manly conversation" about sweaters...:)

I got the chance to try a white and a red, and both were great, although I would say I prefer the white. It's kind of like a holiday cinder-esque alcoholic beverage, and the red has more of a cinnamon flavor. Either way, you really can't go wrong.

I guess heating the wine brings out certain spices and a sweeter taste. Needless to say, we purchased four bottles. I would definitely recommend giving it a try! Cooper's Hawk is located throughout the Chicagoland area.

For more information and locations, visit CoopersHawkWinery.com.

Always,

j.cole (your wine-loving twenty-something)