50 Things I Am Grateful For

Andrea Owen of Live Your Ideal Life recently compiled a list of 100 things she is grateful for and inspired her readers to do the same.  I am grateful for so much every day, but I decided to narrow my list down to 50 for now (what can I say, it’s late at night as I write this). Still, it was a good exercise in making me even more aware of how great my life is and how lucky I am.

50 Things I am Grateful For (in no particular order)

1.) My husband. He is an amazing guy who supports and loves me unconditionally, even when I find it hard to do so myself.
2.) My two beautiful, amazing daughters. They are wonderful human beings and the planet is a better place because they are on it.
3.) The strength of my body. It’s taken me a long time to appreciate all the incredible things my body can do and has done but when I reflect on everything it has done for me, it’s hard not to be in awe.
4.) My health. It’s not perfect, but overall, it’s pretty good, and I plan to keep it that way.
5.) My house — or more specifically, the simple fact that I have a roof over my head.
6.) My neighborhood. After living here for two months, I felt more a part of a community than anywhere else I’ve ever lived.
7.) The good education afforded to my children by the public school system within which we live.
8.) My black Labrador, Chase. The first months we he had him as a puppy were touch and go, challenging me in ways I had thought I was done with after we decided not to have more kids. But two years later, he is truly a member of our family and I love him dearly. (Plus he gets me outside a lot more!)
9.) Good health insurance. My husband has a job that provides excellent health coverage, and I am under no delusions that it could be pulled out from under us at any time for any number of reasons.
10.) My ability to write. I love to write, and it  has always been a way in which I was comfortable expressing myself.
11.) My friends. I have friends from all different corners of my life, and I learn valuable things from all of them. I am surrounded by amazing people.
12.) The internet. I love feeling like I have access to the world at my fingertips.
13.) Social networking. It may sound trite to include Facebook and Twitter, but I have met amazing people on both, and reconnected in new ways with people I thought I would never see again.
14.) My extended family. My father. My mother. My step-mother. My grandmother. My 5 sisters and brother. All unique, wonderful people who have helped shaped the person I have become.
15.) My love for food. I have always had a love-hate relationship with food, mostly because I did not know how to balance my love of it with moderation. But the pleasures one derives from really good food is almost unequaled.
16.) Passion. After 14 years of marriage, my husband and I still got it. Enough said.
17.) My gym. I LOVE my gym. I love walking in it, and feeling like I am going to a spa every time. I love the friendly people that work there who create a welcoming atmosphere. I love the variety of classes and equipment they have.
18.) Savings. We’ve had some smarts, and some luck, but because of both, we have a little extra for a rainy day.
19.) My chance to go to Paris. After years of dreaming of traveling to Paris, I finally got to go last fall and experience it with a good friend. If I had ever made up a bucket list, that would be one I could check off.
20.) Not being afraid to try new things, which has given me the opportunity to live in Ireland, Japan, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and more. I’ve tried different jobs, met new people, tried exotic foods. As a result, I feel like I’ve lived an interesting, and, at times, adventure-filled life.
21.) Wine. I love red wine. It doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive. But when I find one that I like, I love to taste it in my mouth, and feel the wave of relaxation that comes from sipping at a glass of my favorite wine.
22.) Coffee. I like it strong. I like it black. I like lattes. I like how I get a burst of energy from it.
23.) Tea, especially herbal. Guess I need it to counteract the stimulating effects of coffee!
24.) Being an American. I get frustrated at times with our country and with our political system, and occasionally feel ready to expatriate. But when I really look at things, I know we live in a great country, with freedoms and access to so much.
25.) Four seasons. I love every one of them. I love the blooming flowers in the spring, and how everything and everyone seems to have an extra bounce in their step as the clouds from the cold winter months lift. I love the summer — the heat, the humidity, the thunderstorms, all of it. I love the fall, and the amazing fall foliage we experience here in Virginia. I love the cooling weather, and putting on jeans and sweaters after sweating all summer. I love the winter — making fires, bundling up, wearing scarves, and hats, and gloves. I love the snow, and how pretty it makes everything look, and how my kids can play in it for hours.
26.) My career experiences. I never was a career-oriented person before quitting to be a full-time mom, but the many mentors I had while in the professional world were invaluable in all the lessons they taught me.
27.) Motherhood. It has been a tough road for me, fraught with many bumps that were both expected and unexpected. But after 8 years of being a mom, I finally feel like I’m doing a pretty good job, and wouldn’t trade in the last 8 years for the world.
28.) The fact that I was able to conceive and carry two children. I know so many people that struggle or have struggled with fertility and I never want to take for granted the fact that I was able to give birth to my daughters.
29.) The health of my children and husband. I never want to take that for granted either, because I know how quickly it can change.
30.) My car. At the risk of sounding materialistic, I have to say that I love my car. It’s fun to drive, it works well for our family, and as someone who has always had a thing for cars, it’s nice to get into one every day that I enjoy driving.
31.) My clothes. Again, hoping not to sound materialistic, but every time I purchase something, I can’t help but think that there are people who barely have shreds covering their body. When I no longer wear an item of clothing I donate it in hopes that it can help someone else.
32.) Our ability to give back. I regret that I don’t give more with our time, but I feel fortunate that we can at least share some of what we have with others in terms of financial support. And I am committed to finding more time to give back in other ways too.
33.) My camera. After years of putting aside my love for photography, I have recently picked it back up and love having a new way to express my creativity.
34.) Abundant amounts of food all around me. I can go into any grocery store, and find almost everything I want and need.
35.) Farmers markets. I like being able to purchase produce and meat from local farmers when I can. It’s nice to see the face of the person growing your food, and it helps to support the local economy as well as encourage sustainable farming practices.
36.) The fact that my husband is a high-tech nerd (a handsome one though). I can’t imagine life without someone who can fix my every computer need.
37.) Chocolate. Good chocolate. Ok, and even not-so-good chocolate. Though some kinds are definitely a class above others, it’s all pretty good stuff.
38.) The woods. There are many nature trails where I live, even in the middle of suburbia. I love walking through the woods, and going in areas where I can forget that I am surrounded by shopping malls and Ruby Tuesdays.
39.) Good smelling lotions. When I rub my favorite scent into my hands, it calms me.
40.) Candle lit dinners. I don’t have them nearly enough, but they make you slow down and take a moment to really enjoy each other’s company.
41.) Sushi. I LOVE good, fresh sushi. And miso soup. And I love that I live in an area where I can get really awesome sushi that rivals any I had while living in Japan.
42.) Books. I finally quit complaining that I didn’t have enough time to get through all the books I have on my night stand, so I finally wised up and cut out evening TV. Now I’m making a lot more progress and am enjoying a variety of books that I’ve been putting off for too long.
43.) Music. I love jazz, classical, all kinds of rock/pop, etc. I love music that relaxes me, music that excites me, music that inspires me. It’s hard to be down when I put on my iPod and bop around to Madonna or the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire.
44.) Movies. There are plenty of good ones, and plenty of not-so-good ones, but even the lousy ones keep me and my husband talking about them for days.
45.) Good TV shows. Everyone has the ones they love, and I won’t go into my favorites. But when you find one that you really like, it’s like meeting up with friends once a week. Once when one of my favorite shows ended, it felt like a good friend  had died. (Ok, actually, they all kind of did … it was Six Feet Under, and in the very last episode, they followed each character through to their own death.)
46.) The sun. This may sound a little obvious, but after living in San Francisco (a.k.a. Fog City) for two years, I have a whole new appreciation for the sun and how it affects me.
47.) My iPhone. Hoping again not to sound trite, but I can own up to my addiction, though I am trying to ease off a bit. I love all the of the applications that meet my needs or are are just plain entertaining.
48.) Honesty. Sometimes it hurts, but I always want to hear it. Honesty can help people grow.
49.) My capacity for forgiveness. I have never been one to hold a grudge. It doesn’t do anyone any good, and I don’t like to let wounds fester.
50.) My ability to be introspective. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of who I am, and I am happy to say, I like who I am.

What things are you grateful for?