100 things i’m grateful for

See the lists of 100 blog I co-host for more details on this project.

YOU are strongly encouraged to write your own gratitude lists, of whatever length, and as frequently as possible. They can change your life. Seriously.

1. Food, in all its variety and colorfulness, which sustains and nourishes us.
2. My apartment, a safe, cozy haven to share with my husband and kitties.
3. My family, for being there for me as much as they are able to be.
4. My husband, Jeff, for four years of marriage, ups and downs, and for his unwavering solidity and faithfulness.
5. Two years off working at a “job” — this sabbatial has been a great time for me to grow and to explore my creativity and values.
6. Counseling, without which I would have caved long ago to the dark side.
7. Cats — for raising me and training me.
8. Pillow fights as play!
9. My nieces, who taught me to be in the moment. I had forgotten about that!
10. Meditation practice which grounds me and uplifts me.
11. All my five (or more?) senses, seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, smelling…
12. The ability to think!
13. The ability to rest in thoughtless serenity occasionally.
14. Dear friends who sustain, support, and challenge me to be my real self. Cheryln, Jen, Lena, Jane, Priti, Christine, Julie, Becca, Jeff, Mark, …
15. Music! I would not want to live without all the fun and joyous music I have lately rediscovered.
16. Mom, for birthing me and raising me!
17. Dad, for helping create me and always supporting me unfailingly.
18. Fred, for hugs, laughs and tears. And for our old Thursday night dinner when Mom worked late.
19. My grandmother for being my place to go to, for all her superb meals, for nursing me back to health so many times.
20. My great-grandpa for passing on photographers’ genes!
21. Walking. It gets me places, it shows me the sights, it relaxes me and gets me into the creative flow.
22. My city of Seattle which grows with me. Especially for her parks and views.
23. Cafes.
24. Joe Bar –home of my weekly knitting group and just a wonderful place to hang out.
25. Knitting!, which has challenged me, enthralled me, and taught me so much.
26. Rain, for watering all the plants and grasses.
27. Beautiful sun for warming us and giving us reason to get up in the morning.
28. My bed for being so cozy and inviting.
29. Jasmine, the sweetest tiny 7-lb. kitty who has loved me unconditionally and who showed me the value of the “silent meow.”
30. Cooper, a big lovable oaf of a kitty, who has sure grown on me, with his playfulness and earnestness (and his photogenic nature!)
31. My Nikon D40, a fantastic camera my dad gave me last year and which has helped push my photography further than I had thought possible.
32. My Canon Powershot little workhorse of a camera which Dad gave me at least five years ago, and which reawakened my passion for visual arts!
33. Creativity, which gives my life meaning.
34. Flickr, an important community to me.
35. The PTI, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that pushed me to new understandings of myself, my attitudes, my health, and what is important to me.
36. All the wonderful people at PTI who opened their hearts to me, who showed their deepest pains to me, and taught me what it means to have a loving, connected community.
37. Rob, for challenging me incessantly to get real.
38. Physical movement, fitness, dancing, jumping, biking, hiking, swimming, tai chi, yoga, etc.
39. My new gym!
40. How making gratitude lists makes me feel grateful and lucky!
41. Computers for connecting us.
42. Phones for connecting us.
43. Planes which have allowed me to travel far.
44. Summers in France as a kid — staying with my grandma, swimming in the Mediterranean, learning French, watching the Tour de France, tea time with Lu cookies and chocolate, time to truly play and just be a kid!!!
45. Being an adult who can still play!
46. Being honored to attend my friend’s birthing of an incredible little bundle of newborn joy!!
47. Being an aunt, which showed me that I do love children, and that I can still play with Legos even when my nieces don’t think they are cool anymore.
48. Writing, which gets my head cleared out.
49. The Artist’s Way book by Julia Cameron for giving me great creative practices.
50. That I’m halfway to the end of this list.
51. That I once had a birthday in the snow, eating delicious food at hotsprings with two fabulous friends.
52. That someone once threw me a “half” birthday party.
53. That my birthday is close to Christmas because it makes the holidays that much more magical.
54. Receiving and sending letters and packages.
55. Knitting just the right present for someone.
56. Developing a spiritual connection with my higher power.
57. Al-Anon, a community and resource that’s available to me each day.
58. That I can continue to grow and learn by taking it one day at a time.
59. I’m grateful for being the person I am today.
60. I’m grateful Jeff & I have stayed together through difficult times because I could not have grown this much without him by my side.
61. That Jeff was willing to support me 100% financially.
62. For Jeff’s job which is secure and pays him well.
63. To know I can create my own business.
64. Integrity checklists. One day I’ll complete mine!
65. My family’s quirkiness, because it has helped me see things from many perspectives.
66. Growing up in public schools which led me to have a wide variety of friends.
67. The quirky group of friends I had in high school. (Love ya!)
68. My college education, especially the study abroad in France and my Russian classes.
69. Abundance and my growing acceptance of it.
70. Krishna Das’ Breath of the Heart CD.
71. Animals who are so weird and wonderful to me!
72. My strong connection to animals.
73. My connection to nature.
74. Living in a place with so much beauty, water and mountains.
75. Living near many friends and family members.
76. I’m grateful I was born in 1972 ’cause it’s such a cool year.
77. My sister, who was the first one I smiled at as a baby and who called me “Jenny-Jenny Rubber band.”
78. I’m grateful to know I can change the relationships I have, that I can share with people and grow closer to them.
79. Knowing life is a process, finally accepting that.
80. Letting go of perfectionism one day at a time.
81. Getting inspired and staying up half the night on a project.
82. Books! books! books! for transporting me to other worlds, teaching me, comforting me, being company, entertaining me, and inspiring me.
83. Fibers in all their softness and versatility.
84. Crafting, a great creative outlet for me.
85. My grandmother for teaching me to knit so many years ago.
86. My linguistic abilities.
87. My brain which functions pretty well most of the time.
88. My heart, which never stops loving.
89. My skin, for protecting me, for filtering and cleansing toxins out.
90. All my limbs, toes, fingers.
91. A sense of humor which makes everything all right.
92. Antidepressants which kept me from ending it all.
93. Doctors and others who have been healers and mentors to me.
94. Libby, who offers me love and boundaries.
95. Growing up finally.
96. People, for making life worth living.
97. The Earth, for making life possible in the first place, for nurturing us, ground us, putting up with us, and being here for us.
98. Doing good things for the Earth, such as carpooling, recycling, reusing, reducing waste, cloth grocery bags, eating local, etc etc etc.
99. Living more simply and slowly.
100. Introspection, which never fails to teach me something about myself.
101. The fact that I could actually keep going on this list, and there are things I feel I could/should have added! Wow!