Vibrant Nation

As I was driving around yesterday I caught part of a program about new Thanksgiving strategies. One woman mentioned that last year she had sat for 30 minutes watching her soup congeal as the other participants turned mentioning the things they were thankful for into a battle of one-upmanship. Determined to avoid a similar situation today, she planned to ask people to write down 3-4 small things they were thankful for on slips of paper. Between courses at dinner the slips of paper would be pulled from a bowl, then the group would have to try to work out who had written them.

This morning the idea of thankfulness for the small things came back to me in a different way. I read Havi Brooks’ Fluent Self blog where she talked about the 77 things she is grateful for in 2009. This practice started when she poured a handful of lentils in a bowl and decided to think of one good thing for each lentil in the bowl. On that first occasion there were 77 lentils in the bowl, hence her ongoing annual list of 77 things she is thankful for.

Since I am actively trying to notice when I am nudged in the same direction by a variety of sources, it seemed appropriate that today’s post should be about the things I am truly thankful for. Since I’m all out of lentils I will go with 52 items, one for each year of my life so far:

1. My family
2. The endorphins that are released while singing
3. The friend who got me a part time job
4. The smell of soups cooking in winter
5. Discovering and embracing my inner nerd
6. My battered Starbucks mug that I drink strong coffee from each morning
7. My cat who repeatedly reminds me to stop for a break
8. The energy of the air after a storm
9. People who naturally see the positive in situations
10. Common sense
11. Books that make me think in new ways
12. Late night conversations with friends
13. Sharing what I know
14. Collaboration that produces more than the sum of the parts
15. Optimism
16. Great cheese – or in truth, almost any un-processed cheese
17. Going to new places
18. Understanding something that has been mystifying me
19. Noticing connections
20. The lure of the open road
21. Dreaming up new ideas
22. English chocolate
23. Rainbows
24. Completing a 5k walk
25. The kindness of strangers
26. Public transportation, especially when it runs regularly and often
27. The smell of a sleepy baby
28. The process almost more than the end result
29. The thoughtfulness and support of friends
30. Relatives who helped make me who I am today
31. The smell of coffee brewing
32. Spontaneous gatherings
33. The thrill of mastering something new
34. Overcoming fear
35. Sunshine on my skin
36. The moment when the house is just cleaned
37. A warm shower
38. Air conditioning
39. Transatlantic flights
40. Talking a walk
41. Letting your mind run free and finding gems amongst what comes up to the surface
42. Christmas dinner, the familiarity of repetition
43. Rediscovering the pleasure of making things from scratch
44. Bright colors
45. Interesting typography (see item 5!)
46. Curling up with an engrossing book
47. My favorite musicologist
48. My old red sweater that is so soft and cozy
49. Going back to school despite reservations
50. Sunny days
51. Snow on the ground and the silence it brings
52. Being warm, fed and comfortable

What are you thankful for today?

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