I wasn’t planning to write a piece for you this past Thanksgiving.

And I’m sure you got your fill (pun!) of “How Cooking a Turkey is A Lot Like Living A Brilliant Life” blog posts anyways :)

But a week ago on Thanksgiving morning, I riding a high of beaming positivity and energy that I desperately want to share with you. So, I wrote this short post below, figuring I would publish it for you today.

What caused such good vibes?

A Vinyasa flow yoga class with upwards of 50(!) fellow yoga practitioners right here in my hometown East Greenwich, Rhode Island — a room so packed for the free Thanksgiving session that people were literally overflowing into hallways and adjacent closets! The class was great. Invigorating. Mindful. And damn, what a workout. I’m gettin’ jacked, dawg.

I’ve also been delving deeper into my yoga practice — it comes at a fantastic time as I also dive further into:

• Personal exploration of Shambhala Buddhism (stemming from what I’m currently reading, Ruling Your World, as a part of a new 2-person book club with my pal Molly Mahar),

• Fresh habit of 10-minute daily meditation, and,

• New study of Tibetan Sanskrit (a really gorgeous language that I want to begin learning — I actually have a tattoo in Sanskrit on my shoulder).

With all of these fresh and reinvigorating personal practices conveniently coalescing in the last few weeks, the lesson I want to share with you is a liberating one — for your creative spirit, loving side, passions and goals, relationships and friendships, even business pursuits and financial goals:

Embrace everything.

Exhale expectations. Accept imperfections and not-how-I-pictured-it’s.

When a problem, issue or concern arises, we confront it with entrenched expectations, forceful wants, and ego-dominated will. Instead, practice making your first reaction no different than when you realize the day’s weather after first peaking out the window in the morning.

• The skillful sailor doesn’t curse the wind in his face. He angles his schooner to capture the gale and gust, and cuts across the waves all the same. The seas are providing, not withholding. He embraces everything.

• The savvy surfer has little choice but to bob upon the waves; to flow with the tides wherever they may go. With neither fight nor complaint, she responds in sync with their every movement. If a wave comes, she may ride upon it or pass over it, or dive through to meet the placid ocean beyond. She embraces everything.

• The prudent card player has no choice but to embrace how his and the dealer’s hands are dealt. He must anticipate, but cannot predict, what cards may next fall. Folding his hand — exercising patience, acceptance, humility — is simply a part of the game. He embraces everything.

Try to achieve this outlook just 10% of the time. Start small. Make it a gentle habit.

Soon, the agony and anguish of petty problems dissipates. Venomous barbs and embittered quips pass off of your resistant skin and evaporate into oblivion.

Your mind is a powerhouse, and its positive focus will fuel you.

But mental-emotional stubbornness is stagnating: spiritually stifling. Embrace is innovative: spiritually engaging.

The genius of embracing everything is that it requires less effort than you’d think — there’s less friction, fewer obstructions. And it liberates you to engage in what matters most, and deserves far more of your love and attention.

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Photo: Thanksgiving day with Uncle (background) and God-daughter (foreground)