It’s so easy in our day-to-day lives to get caught up in the moment and forget about all the good things that there are to celebrate. Most of these things have very little to do with money (although having money can sometimes make them easier to accomplish). I think it’s important to sit down every once in awhile and reflect on those things I’m thankful for to make sure they aren’t forgotten in the day-to-day dramas.
What I’m thankful for is probably not exactly the same as what you’re thankful for, but I hope that by sharing my list, you might discover a thing or two which you’re also thankful for that you may have not considered before. Here is my list, in no particular order, of 50 things for which I’m thankful:
Life: When you think of the odds that you even exist, then the odds that you ended up exactly where you are today, you have beaten odds far greater than any lottery.
Beaches: It really is impossible to have a bad day if that day is spent at a beach.
Nature: The wonder and beauty of it inspires me on a daily basis. My friends often say that it’s my religion. They might be right.
Curiosity: The joy of wanting to learn something new about the things around me on a daily basis is something that I truly love.
Joy: I seem to be able to find it on a daily basis, and the more I find, the more it comes to me.
Friends: It’s funny because as an introvert, I don’t have a lot of them, but the friendships that I do form are the foundation of my life.
Family: We don’t always get along and we tend to fight about petty things, but I know that if I ever needed anyone they would be there for me in an instant. I would be there for them in an instant as well. Besides, I have the two cutest nieces in the world.
Science: A subject that I have never been all that good at and struggled with in school, yet one that fascinates me on a daily basis and I strive to learn more about everyday.
Stars: I still stare at them in the night sky with the wonder of a little boy.
Clouds: I can spend hours watching clouds form shape after shape as they cross the sky.
Sun: There is nothing like feeling the warmth of rays from the sun hitting your face on a brisk morning.
Seasons: Each time a new one rolls around, it seems like a celebration of the new excitement to come.
Smiles: It’s the first thing that I notice about people, and seeing a genuine one can literally make my day.
Laughter: There can never be enough laughter in the world.
Hugs: No matter how you are feeling before you receive a hug, you are going to feel at least a little better after it.
Backrubs: Seriously, do you know anyone who doesn’t love a good backrub?
Wine: A glass of wine at the end of the day is always a welcome treat.
National Parks: Most people don’t realize there are nearly 400 in the US, and that the lesser known ones can be just as beautiful (if not more-so) than the popular ones.
Love: There is such a huge variety of love out there, but when you have it with another being, you know it.
Romance: Okay, I admit it. Deep down, I’m still a hopeless romantic.
Chocolate: Sneaking snacks between meals just wouldn’t be the same without it.
Surprise: I love it when the unexpected infiltrates the normalcy of my normal day-to-day activities that I’ve become accustomed to.
Sadness: It’s the sign that shows how much you really cared.
Internet: It allows me to make a living while traveling full-time, and provides me with my dream job.
Discovery: One of my favorite things in life is discovering new things each and every day.
Imagination: I’m probably so thankful for this because mine tends to work in overdrive.
Ideas: I love sharing, hearing about and simply thinking about new ideas, and the better ways that we can do things.
Difference: Think what a boring world it would be if everything was always the same. I try to celebrate difference even when that difference isn’t what I would choose for myself.
Music: There’s nothing like the right song to reach deep inside you and pour out exactly what you’re feeling at that moment.
Art: I am fascinated by it and how artists can make it come alive — probably because it’s something that I don’t do well myself, but wish I could.
Health: I can basically do any activity that I want to do without major physical or mental roadblocks in the way. Since I know others who aren’t as fortunate, it’s something that I cherish all the more.
Individuality: I can be who I want to be and you can be who you want to be, and if those are two completely different things, that’s okay. How great is that?
Sunsets: The colors that a sunset can produce still leaves me in awe each time I see a new one. Sunrises are the same way.
Hot Showers: My secret everyday pleasure. I would not have done well living 100 years ago.
Walks: I absolutely love them and try to take at least one a day for my mental health.
Caves: There is just something about them that speaks to me.
Dreams: It fascinates me what my mind comes up with while I’m asleep, and then trying to figure out why it decided that all that strangeness was something I needed to see.
Goals: I love to constantly strive toward them even if I can’t accomplish all the ones I set.
Failure: While I’m not usually all that happy at the time of the failures, I almost always come away with a better understanding and perspective from from the failure.
Classes: I truly wish I had more time to take more of these.
Planes: Think about it. You can get anyplace in the entire world within a day. How fantastic is that?
Road Trips: Do you know anyone who doesn’t love a road trip?
Passion: Whether it’s about something you’re doing or toward another person, having passion is something that is an indescribably feeling.
Bucket Lists: If you don’t have one, you should start making it right this second, and then actively working to cross everything on the list off.
Modern Medicine: I have good friends still alive because of it that wouldn’t be here if we were all born 100 years earlier.
Backyard Gardens: There is something delicious about food that you have grown yourself.
Challenges: They make us do more than we thought we could while at the same time making us better people.
Rainbows: Storm versus sunlight to create pure beauty.
Patience: Something that I am eternally thankful that others have with me, and something that I continue to try to improve on having for others.
Sex: I debated whether to mention this, but let’s face it — it’s awesome.
I hope the above list has made you stop for a moment and consider some of the things which you’re thankful for in your life. I would love to hear some of those things in the comment section.