I came across a post recently talking about things the author was grateful for. What a great idea! In our busy lives, oftentimes we allow ourselves to get mired in the frustrations and minor inconveniences of the day-to-day grind. Below are 50 things that I’m very grateful for… what are yours?
1) Waking up this morning with no alarm
2) Seeing the beautiful sunshine today
3) Technology that allows me to work without being tethered to a desk all of the the time
4) A fantastic group of friends, some of whom I met in elementary school
5) Working for myself
6) Finishing my first half-marathon (and soon, my second)
7) My brother who always (well, almost always) let me tag along
8) The amazing people I’ve gotten to know in the industry I work in
9) Being American and enjoying all of its freedoms
10) My Little Miss Sunshine mug
11) My first home, which I’ll forever love no matter where I move
12) The best parents I could ever ask for
13) Watching the Kentucky Derby from the infield
14) Sky diving
15) Swimming in the ocean
16) My Italian roots
17) Martinis in a bag!
18) Piggy back rides on the Vegas Strip
19) Lounging on the beach at Hilton Head
20) Being able to give back
“Being grateful is a good way to end your day. Not in a repressive way, more like a celebration. To life. To the living.” ~Unknown
21) My time at Kent State University
22) Things that make me laugh
23) Hiking in Hocking Hills State Park
24) Sports, every last one of them
25) Books and books and books…
26) Casablanca on the big screen
27) Catching an Aeros game at Canal Park
28) My love of the outdoors
29) Maya Angelou for speaking her mind
30) Elvis for changing music forever
31) The Bible
32) Dropping out of the corporate rat race
33) Running through Hardesty Park
34) Watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve
35) Experiencing and participating in the Pay It Forward experience
36) On Writing by Stephen King (what a mind!)
37) Religious freedom
38) A steaming hot caramel latte
39) Sitting by my fireplace watching the flames
40) All the little princesses & monsters at my door on Halloween
41) That Garth Brooks concert so many years ago…
42) Kind words and well wishes
43) Watching the *famous* sunset in Naples, FL
44) God’s incredible grace
45) Turtle soup
46) Homeless shelters, especially Haven of Rest & ACCESS, who help people get back on their feet
47) Evernote for capturing my random thoughts no matter where I am
48) Lounging on my back patio while listening to my water feature and nature
49) The Ten Commandments
50) Michael J. Fox for his courage and bringing much needed attention to a great cause
There’s my 50… what are yours? I would love to hear from you! This is a great exercise to remember everything good that you have in your life.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there!
Jaime
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My list (as of this moment):
1. My family
2. Dee & especially her continued good health
3. Having a job that I care passionately about
4. My sense of justice & fairness, thanks to my spiritual upbringing & experience
5. My cat (the best cat ever) who has turned me into a cat person
6. Strong, fresh coffee
7. The USA & my rights as a citizen guaranteed by the Constitution
8. Fall weekends in the Poconos
9. My mistakes
10. Moving to a semi-vegetarian diet
11. Informal mentors who have guided my career
12. WXPN – the best radio station on air & the Web
13. That summer in Avalon
14. Wegman’s & Trader Joe’s
15. Treating each day as an opportunity to learn & be better
16. New friends I’ve made this year through Twitter & LinkedIn
17. The Big Bang Theory
18. Good health & safety
19. Being and staying calm & centered
20. Iron Hill breweries
21. The good work done by so many after Hurricane Sandy
22. Real life stories that I read or see on TV that make me choke up
23. A good book that draws me in
24. A roof over my head, with hot & cold running water
25. How little kids laugh at what we adults take for granted
26. Good health insurance
27. NASA, Space-X & anyone who dreams & works at pushing back frontiers
28. Home
29. The 4 seasons we get in our part of the country
30. The Internet
31. Earth, and all of the amazing forms of life that live on it
32. Birds & their songs
33. Sitting at a movie theater for a long-awaited film with real, fresh, hot-buttered popcorn
34. People who put their lives at risk to protect us
35. Sunlight
36. Libraries
37. My Subaru
38. My heartbreaks
39. The accomplishment I feel after doing physical labor outside, like painting windows or raking leaves
40. Memories
41. Sleep
42. The crazy, habitually underachieving Philly sports teams I follow
43. Rollerblading or running on the River Drives
44. TastyKakes
45. The sunsets on my Key West trip
46. Air conditioning in Summer
47. Getting out of my comfort zone
48. Hard times
49. Bad sci-fi & action movies
50. Life
Paul, I love your list! It’s always fun to see others’ grateful lists, because they remind you of awesome things in your own life. Doesn’t it feel good to put them in writing? I smiled when I finished mine, and I smile again every time I read it. Thank you!
Thank you. I’ll be sure to revisit & add to this from time to time. Have a tranquil holiday, my friend!
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