One of the benefits of having a high-energy dog is that he acts as our unintentional personal trainer. Whether or not I feel like exercising, Bernie needs a 45 minute walk daily, or he will literally start bouncing 5 feet in the air until we take him out. “Alright Capital Bern, let’s go!”, I will often say. That’s right, my nickname for our dog Bernie is Capital Bern. Don’t ask why, I created it and it has stuck.

At least 5 times a week we take Capital Bern for a hike in our area. If I have a lot of readings and work to get done, it’s best to exhaust him so he spends the rest of the day asleep under my desk. This particular hike costs three dollars for parking. Apparently you can purchase a year long pass, but the procrastinator in me has yet to do this. One of our favorite things to do post-hike is to take our parking pass and give it to the next person pulling in to the parking lot. It doesn’t matter if they roll up in a Bentley or a Smart Car, every single person beams with excitement as I offer them the free $3 ticket.

“Really?”, says an impeccably dressed woman in her Beemer convertible.

“For real!”, I respond and hand her the ticket.

Most people look directly into my eyes with gratitude and excitement about this little perk. It’s a great feeling to do something nice for no reason.

The other day as David, Capital Bern and I were driving over to our hike, I was feeling a little crabby.

“How come we never get free tickets?” I grumble to David.

“What?”

“I’m just saying that we spend at least $15 a week on this hike and we give our parking pass away every time. It would be nice to have someone give us a pass for a change. Sometimes I want to be the one getting the pass.”

“Someone is in a mood.” David mumbles.

“What, I can’t ask the question? What about all the as you give so shall you receive?”

“Alright, Sir Grumps-a-lot. Just go buy the ticket.”

As I hop out of the car, David slowly pulls into a parking place. I am still feeling oddly grumpy. I pull out my three dollars and feed them into the machine. As I listen to the machine print out my ticket, I look down and realize that there is a ticket already in the dispenser!

Before I can even process that I received a gift, the ticket that I purchased prints out of the machine. These moments are what I like to call “Mini Miracles”. I was so wrapped up in my own grumpy mood that I missed out on an opportunity to receive. It didn’t even cross my mind that someone may have left a ticket for us. My mind was so focused on the lack that it was all I could see. In reality, there was a gift right in front of my face – literally.

Mini miracles are a topic that I talk to clients about all the time. I was recently coaching a client, and we were discussing their fear of not having enough gas in the car. Could they make it to work, day care, and the grocery store on their gas budget? As gas prices fluctuate daily, it’s hard to budget. We all have these moments in our lives when we get hooked on the lack rather than the abundance. At the end of the session I invited my client to look for any mini miracles during the week. And here I was not exactly walking the walk.

My parking pass experience made me look at a lesson that I teach clients all of the time. In order to attract abundance and prosperity, it is imperative that we see the blessings right in front of our face.

During our hike, David playfully made fun of me for my grumpy attitude and we laughed about finding the “free” ticket. I made a promise to myself to be more observant and thankful for every mini miracle that I noticed.

Luckily, the Universe gave me another chance the very next day. I love farmers markets. I love seeing the bounty of fresh produce each week, and I really enjoy supporting our local farmers. On this particular day, we woke up a little later than usual and were running behind. Spring is in full throttle here in Los Angeles, and while getting dressed I had a craving for iced coffee. I kept thinking about how much I would enjoy a Starbucks iced coffee while perusing the fun selections at the market. My mind was playing the movie in my head.

“One grande iced skinny vanilla latte please!”

“Iced Skinny for D’Gall!”, the barista would yell.

I’d roll my eyes and smile; people always get my name wrong.

When we got to the market it was a little too late to stop for a coffee, so I skipped it.

Twenty minutes later, with four burlap bags filled with enough veggies to feed an ashram, David and I trekked back to our car.

“What is that in the parking lot?”, David asked.

“It looks like they are giving away some kind of sample, and I need that sample.”

With every step across the street, the sign got clearer and clearer. There was a tall man standing behind a table with an Illy Coffee logo, and he was handing out samples.

“It’s free coffee!”

“Can I interest you in an iced cappuccino?” my miracle barista asked.

“Yes please!”

Illy is one of Italy’s finest coffee companies, even better than Starbucks. The barista took photos of me tasting samples and then handed me four large iced coffees to take home for free. This time I did not miss the mini miracle, and felt so grateful as I sipped the ice-cold java that I had been envisioning. That afternoon we went back for another hike to work off my coffee high.

“I am going to check the machine before I put the money in this time.”

Before I could even get out of the car, I saw a ticket flapping in the breeze, sticking out of the dispenser. Yes mini miracles!

The lesson for me this week is to recognize the amazing gifts that the universe brings us every day. How often do you list the mini miracles in your life? If you think about it, they happen all of the time. As I scan back through my week I can think of dozens of miracles that happen every day:

The sound David makes when I make him laugh.

The sunset.

Picking a lemon from the lemon tree, IN MY YARD!

The heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, and red bell peppers growing in our front yard.

Complimentary iced coffee.

A complimentary hike.

The nice man at the plant store giving us ten percent off just because we were friendly.

Ten dollars I found in an old pair of jeans.

These mini miracles happen every single day. We get so busy with life that we forget to acknowledge the simple things. My belief in the law of attraction is that by recognizing the mini miracles, we attract bigger and brighter gifts. So this week I invite you to stop, look around you and see what gifts are right in front of your face. Actually, start with my site. There is something free for everyone here. Did you see it?