It’s been a life-changing couple of years for all of us, hasn’t it? We can’t think of a single person who was not affected by the pandemic in some way or another. It seems we’ve all had to make changes, reprioritize, adjust, pivot, and sometimes, just deal with it. One of the things that has truly helped us through this challenging time is gratitude. Merriam-Webster states that gratitude means, “a feeling of appreciation or thanks : the state of being grateful : thankfulness.” Being grateful is grounding and mindful. It can uplift and energize. It can even be spiritual or religious. There really isn’t a single negative thing about feeling gratitude, is there?
Here are 10 simple things to be grateful for.
1. Health
Even if your health isn’t perfect—your awful allergies, your achy back—there are probably more things working properly that you can feel thankful for.
2. Family and friends
Whether you have a circle of three or thirty, each of these people make our lives better. They give us love and they let us love them.
3. A roof over your head
Having a place to call home is a wonderful thing. An apartment, a cabin, a mansion, an RV—if it gives you sanctuary and a warm, safe place to sleep, it’s home.
4. Safe, clean water
It’s so easy to take for granted because it’s inexpensive and plentiful and everywhere. But according to water.org 1 in 10 people globally lack access to safe water, while 1 in 4 don’t have access to a toilet.
5. Technology
Can you imagine if the pandemic had happened in 2000 instead of 2020? No smartphones, no high-speed internet, no real home offices, no food delivery apps, no streaming services…the list is long. Technology kept us tethered to our people, our work, and the outside world.
6. Healthcare
Advances in modern medicine have saved millions, and access to healthcare has helped us live better and longer. We are so grateful to the healthcare workers who have done so much and worked so hard these past 18 months and counting.
7. Travel
Being able to visit places that inspire us, stoke our imaginations, help us relax, test our physicality, and enjoy new cultures is a true blessing. But being able to travel and see—and hug!—loved ones is just as amazing.
8. Food
We are grateful that we never have to go hungry; that we have access to a huge variety of safely-grown and -packaged foods.
9. The beauty of nature
Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest are surrounded by so much natural beauty—lakes, mountains, forests, beaches…the list goes on and on. We are so lucky that we can immerse ourselves in it with a short drive in almost every direction.
10. The Arts
We just can’t imagine life without books, art, music, performance and movement arts. They bring us to new places, please our eyes and our souls, and make us laugh, cry, love, anger, and think.
If you sit awhile and reflect on your life, we bet you can add another more personal 20, 50, or 90 things to this list. Furry friends, the smell of freshly baked cookies, the warmth of your partner’s hand, your awesome therapist, sunrise neighborhood runs, your successful knee replacement, your kiddo’s patient teacher, the well-worn recipe binder from your late grandmother…. No matter what, there is always something to be grateful for, and for that we feel gratitude!
Gratitude turns what we have into enough. —Melody Beattie
Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life
is the foundation for all abundance. —Eckhart Tolle
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have,
you will never, ever have enough. —Oprah Winfrey