Happy Thursday—and Happy Thanksgiving!

This month, we have explored Abundance as something that already lives in your days, waiting for your awareness. Today, I want to take this reflection further.

Abundance deepens the moment you recognize how life holds you, even when your plans fall apart. It appears when circumstances change, and yet something meaningful remains. Sometimes, that ‘something’ carries far more meaning than what disappeared.

There is a form of richness that often appears in the unexpected. I once witnessed it in the Australian Outback.

A Thanksgiving in the Outback

When I was a producer on Survivor during the filming of The Australian Outback season, a flash flood swept through the contestants’ camp, washing away almost everything—their fire, their supplies. Nearly all was lost except for a single can of rice, which was wedged between branches in the current.

Tina Wesson, who would later win the season, dove into the rushing water without hesitation. She emerged shivering, soaked, clutching that can as if it were the most valuable thing in the world. However, the relief of saving the rice vanished the moment they realized they had no matches.

So, no way to cook, no way to stay warm. It broke their spirits. The game stopped. For a moment, it felt as though everything had disappeared.

That night, the tribe huddled beneath a single sandy, wet blanket, their backs pressed together to stay warm. Amid shock and exhaustion, someone realized the date. It was Thanksgiving.

Then, slowly, one voice after another named something they were grateful for:
Safety.
Each other.
The fish hook they still had.
Even that small can of rice.

In the middle of hardship, they found a deeper awareness of what remained.

Not the abundance they wanted, yet the abundance they needed.

The lesson has never left me.

Every Thanksgiving, I think back to that night when there were no alliances or scheming—just a recognition that even after loss, there is still something to be thankful for.

Abundance matures when you see the strength that rises in you during challenging moments. It grows when you acknowledge the people who remain by your side. It expands when you honor the meaning that emerges after circumstances change. This, to me, is true abundance.

A Thanksgiving Presence Practice

Sometime today, give yourself a short pause from the festivities.

• Sit for a few breaths.
• Name something that has stayed with you this year, even during a difficult moment.
• Write one or two lines of thanks for it.

As you reflect, notice what changes inside you. This is the experience of recognizing your deeper abundance.

Personal Reflection

Here is your opportunity to integrate this Thanksgiving message through prompts from Take a Shot at Happiness.

Photo Op

Capture an image that reflects something in your life that endured—a relationship, a practice, a place, a personal truth.

Action Opportunity

Before December begins, name three ways you will honor the parts of your life that continue to hold you.

There is more to explore.
Continue your reflection here ⬇️

My latest Best Holistic Life article, a recent podcast conversation, the Take a Shot at Happiness App, and my transformational travel journeys are all here to support your wholebeing in mind, body, and spirit.

With love and gratitude,
Maria

P.S. 💖 Know someone who may need a Thanksgiving reminder of what remains? You are welcome to share this reflection.

If you are that friend, welcome—you can sign up to receive these reflections each month:

P.P.S. 💖 My Insight Timer meditations—live and recorded—offer space to reconnect with what supports you.

Wellbeing Travel Experiences

My Sojourn Explorers journeys reveal how abundance meets you in places untouched by hurry—in open skies, winding waterways, and landscapes that give you room to breathe.

These experiences invite a different pace of attention. You start to see that true wealth lives in the moments that stay with you long after you return home.

Take a Shot at Happiness Retreat:
Dwarika’s, Nepal

Feb 20–27, 2026 | Group Size: 16 Seekers | Inquire About Cost​

Nepal offers an experience guided by its sacred sites, meaningful rituals, and the cultural wisdom carried through daily life. Your days take you from temple courtyards to quiet overlooks, where guided practices help you reflect on your life from a wider vantage point. You explore clarity through reflection, photography, and the teachings shared throughout your journey.

This retreat meets you at the edge of the Himalayas and opens a sense of inner expansion. Here, Abundance is felt in perspective, in meaning, and in the renewed vision that rises when you stand in a land formed by centuries of spiritual tradition.

Take a Shot at Happiness Retreat:
Vermejo, New Mexico

April 8–12, 2026 | Group Size: 10 Seekers | Inquire About Cost​

Vermejo sits on land that stretches from meadows to forested hills, with wildlife moving freely across thousands of protected acres. The environment itself supports reflection—sunrise casting light across the ranch, long pathways through quiet woodland, evenings that welcome deep rest around the fire.

During this retreat, you engage in the practices from Take a Shot at Happiness—guided reflection, photography, thoughtful dialogue, and time for integration. Each day gives you space to settle, listen, and create new direction for your life.

Here, abundance feels grounded. The land, the silence, the open space—each one helps you reconnect with your inner compass and the clarity that follows.

Botswana Untamed: A Journey Into the Wild

March 7 - 19, 2026 | Group Size: 8 | Inquire About Cost​

The Okavango Delta offers a presence that settles you. The landscapes slow your thinking and invite you to see your life with more clarity.

Bhutan: The Kingdom of Happiness

December 5 - 15, 2025 | Group Size: 8 | Inquire About Cost​

On the mountain paths of Bhutan, lined with prayer flags that carry blessings into the world, each step feels intentional. Abundance here is felt in kindness, community, and the way the land welcomes you into a slower way of being.

Book

​Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want is a creative guide to living with more intention. The companion app offers a safe place to reflect, capture meaningful moments, and stay connected to what brings you back to yourself.

Book Endorsement

If Take a Shot at Happiness has spoken to you, I would be grateful if you shared your thoughts on your favorite platform.

Article

In a recent Best Holistic Life, I offer From Victim to Heroine: How to Take Control of Your Life—I share six ways to take back control and live the life you want.

Podcast Highlight

Maria joins the Dr. Ward Bond Show to share how her book provides a fun, creative path using camera phone photography, journaling, and intentional, consistent action to help readers create a healthier state of being.

Giving Back

Explore projects that heal communities, protect wildlife, and restore hope.

Support a cause you care about: → Charity Checks | Great Plains Foundation | MicoAid | Stand Up To Cancer​

I am also supporting the Andy Vargas Foundation’s 1^st Annual Golf Charity Tournament -Swing for the Young Artist of Tomorrow. Andy is the vocalist for the Santana Band. His foundation was established to inspire and educate young people who love music through mentorship.

When: Monday, December 15, 2025.
Where: Porter Valley Country Club, Northridge, CA

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Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator. Alec Sills-Trausch Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature. Subscribe​

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Maria Baltazzi​
PhD, Conscious-Centered Living | MFA, Film
​Emmy-winning TV Producer | Award-winning Author | Happiness Explorer​
​Conscious Luxury Travel Designer​
​Transformational Travel Council Advisor + Herald​
​Explorers Club Fellow National Member​
Seven Continent Marathon Walker

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