Gratitude Challenge: 100 Things I'm Grateful For!

I've had times in the past where I've kept a gratitude journal, where I write five (or any number) of things I'm grateful for in that day, that moment. I've enjoyed this practice very much in the times I've stuck to it. I think there's something really profound about focusing on the tiniest of pleasant things that happen in a day, like someone holding the door for me at a store, or getting to eat a tasty dinner at home with my family.

I figured since I've talked a fair amount lately about the hard times we've been having, and the things I don't enjoy, that there's nothing better to follow all of that up with than a great big dose of gratitude. So, I've taken on the Let's Take the Metro Gratitude Challenge: to write a list of 100 things I'm grateful for to post on Thanksgiving Day.


It took me longer than I wanted, but I did it! Here are (only) a hundred things I'm grateful for, though there are so many more:

(In no particular order) I am grateful for...

1. Jaymz
   
2. Daniel
3. All of my family members
4. and friends
5. including the incredible NPN volunteers
6. Oxygen 
7. The smells of Thanksgiving!
8. Delicious food, including:
9. Gluten free baked goods
10. Sweet Winter squash
11. Soup
12. Honey 
13. Chocolate 
14. Coffee
15. Convenience foods
16. Food carts (and the people who run them)
17. The farmers who cultivate all the food I eat
18. The many farmers' markets we can visit on a regular basis
19. Heat for my house
20. A comfortable bed to sleep in
21. A deep freezer to keep food for later
22. Salty baths 
23. Candles
24. Breastfeeding
    
25. Oxytocin (and all the happy brain chemicals)
26. Heavy things that help to calm Daniel down
27. Lisa (our OT)
28. OT itself and
29. my ability to learn new things
30. The plasticity of Daniel's brain
31. Gregorian chant
32. Daniel's truly joyful times
33. Haircuts that go smoothly 
34. American Sign Language (because it helps Daniel communicate more effectively!)
35. Persistence
36. Baby carriers (and babywearing)
    
37. Rocking chairs
38. Warm sweaters
39. Thick blankets
40. Fuzzy socks
41. My sewing machine
42. Creativity
43. Tea time
44. Cloth diapers
45. Wool 
46. Cotton
47. Bamboo
48. Hemp
49. Our cats
50. Beautiful art
51. The Portland Saturday Market (running since 1973!)
52. Hugs (especially the really squeezy, not-letting-go-right-away kind)
53. Getting the opportunity to watch a television program with Jaymz some evenings
54. Cooking dinner together (even when we don't get any "us time")
55. Vacations
56. Freecycle
    
57. Generous strangers
58. Deep breaths
59. Earplugs (things are loud here a lot)
60. My tree
61. Bicycles and 
62. bike lanes and
63. bike seats for little ones!
64. The MAX (our public light rail train)
65. City parks
66. Telephones
67. 9-1-1 service and 
68. friendly & responsive police officers
69. Fire departments
70. Libraries
71. Urgent care doctors
72. Modern medicine and
73. ancient ("alternative") remedies and healthcare alike
74. Counseling (and my incredible therapist)
75. Powell's Books
76. Local businesses
77. Improvised toys (like this box car)
78. Yoga practice
79. The internet, including
80. web applications,
81. open-source software,
82. web comics, and
83. Netflix instant play
84. Blogs by so many thoughtful and insightful writers (for my reading pleasure!)
85. Swimming
86. A helpful and knowledgeable realtor and
87. mortgage broker and
88. insurance agent on our team
89. Health insurance
90. Jaymz's job (which he loves!)
91. My shop (it's so fun to create things for others!)
92. Handmade gifts
93. Credit card rewards of the cash back and
    
94. free airline ticket varieties 
95. Soothing rain
96. Fog
97. The moon
98. This gorgeous and incredible planet we live on
99. Everyone who cares about me and my family and is affected when things are difficult for us
100. All the people I'm not even totally aware of who play a part in supporting my quality of life.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving (fellow Americans). Now it's time for me to go eat with my family!

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Linked up with the other Gratitude Challenge participants' incredible lists of things to be grateful for at Let's Take the Metro. Head on over there to read all the things these folks have to be thankful for this holiday season.

What are you feeling most grateful for today?