60 Things to Be Thankful For This Year

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tomorrow is thanksgiving in the united states tomorrow (happy belated thanksgiving for canadian friends in october)! this holiday is great because it makes us (hopefully) pause and give thanks. i opted to write 60 things to be thankful for this year, although i could go on and on and on.

i vote we take stock on any given day because we truly do have so much to be thankful for in our lives. perhaps you’ve already thought of these and i want help too expanding my mind because i am so very privileged in this life i was given and created.

“we often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” cynthia ozick

60 things i am thankful for include:

  1. being born into a white, middle class family
  2. finding a partner that respects me, loves me, and encourages me to grow
  3. that we, as humans, have the capacity to change
  4. healthy children
  5. breathing is involuntary
  6. that i can still afford health insurance (even though it increased $300/month)
  7. access to healthy food
  8. the ability to workout
  9. teachers who believed in me and supported me throughout my education
  10. time and space to be creative
  11. the village of solid people that surround us and give us a well-rounded circle of support
  12. the privilege to dream big
  13. paying taxes – i want nice parks and safe roads and for people who need help temporarily to be able to feed themselves and their kids
  14. the internet to connect across seas and instantaneously
  15. the opportunity to speak my mind and share my thoughts
  16. washer and dryer
  17. having the sister i have
  18. that i am able to love, respect and welcome people who differ from me
  19. the access and opportunity to higher education
  20. my family’s health
  21. taking love days
  22. books and good writers
  23. for my background in social work and current life in entrepreneurship
  24. family vacations
  25. twinkly lights
  26. my parents for never putting me and my sister in the middle of their divorce
  27. friendships both near and far
  28. ability to travel
  29. being able to have a drink or two but not struggling with addiction
  30. eating outdoors
  31. that great hair days do exist
  32. though i’ve dealt with anxiety and depression, my mental health doesn’t impair me so horribly that i can’t function
  33. a husband that loves to cook because i really don’t
  34. people who take the time to write meaningful thank you notes
  35. that i live in a safe community
  36. my sweet pup sugar, who goes where i go (even when i pumped 8 times a day)
  37. that i can see colors, especially in sunrises and sunsets
  38. that i can hear music and when people tell me they love me
  39. that i can feel pleasure and pain
  40. that i can taste food and drink
  41. that i can smell cookies and my husband’s cologne
  42. my immune system for fighting off a lot of bad crap
  43. watching snowfall and not having anywhere to go
  44. serious belly laughs
  45. my heart, both for pumping blood throughout my whole body and the ability to love and receive love
  46. lucking out with having great in-laws
  47. my empathy – though i feel things more deeply than most, i would rather feel too much than not enough
  48. the wide range of emotions that let me appreciate the positive ones and respect the harder ones
  49. trees, for giving us oxygen, shade and new growth each year
  50. our current administration has encouraged a whole new range of capable and smart women to get involved in politics who might not have otherwise
  51. watching atlas take in the world around her
  52. friendly neighbors
  53. soft t-shirts from target
  54. sitting in the sunshine
  55. most restaurants do delivery now
  56. sliding into our cozy bed after a long day
  57. a reliable mode of transportation
  58. mother nature in general
  59. this space
  60. you

what else would you add? do you do any type of daily gratitude? my husband and i do our nightly four, which includes what we are thankful for each day. it’s really made a difference.

thank you for being a part of my world and letting me be a part of yours. i don’t take it for granted that you stop by to read my thoughts and share your words of encouragement.

happy thanksgiving!

10 Comments

  1. Elyse @ Just Murrayed

    November 22, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Love your gratitude list! You can never have too much. We had been slacking with our daily gratitude mostly because I was going to bed ridiculously early BUT we reinstated it about two weeks ago which is great because it puts me back in the frame of mind to be grateful!

    Last night’s gratefuls from me – feeling Baby Murray’s kicks, being pregnant and healthy, having wonderful doctors, Facetime, awesome coworkers, amazing friends who are already spoiling Baby Murray.

    • chelsea

      November 29, 2017 at 9:57 am

      your gratitude list made me smile SO big, elyse! i am so thrilled you can feel baby murray’s kicks and that you’re healthy, you have a great family and friends and wonderful doctors. yay!

  2. Kate

    November 22, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    I really need to put daily gratitude into practice! I’m grateful that we have a place to stay (my in-law’s house) while we figure out where we’re going to move. And of course, so, so, grateful for our healthy toddler!

    • chelsea

      November 29, 2017 at 9:56 am

      oh man, healthy babies are SO so good to be thankful for! i’m glad you can stay with your inlaws while you sort out where to move! i know you will find the perfect place!

  3. Vivien

    November 22, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    Happy (American) Thanksgiving and what a great list!
    I’m almost done my #365DaysofGratitude that I started for myself, although periodically I do skip a day because of a busy schedule.

    Now I’m trying to think of another one for next year…Hmm…maybe #365smiles or something of the like.

    • chelsea

      November 29, 2017 at 9:56 am

      thank you vivien! oh that’s so great that you did the #365daysofgratitude, that’s really great! ohhh the smiles one is a great idea or maybe giving back (like picking up trash, donating, volunteering, holding doors open)!

  4. Audrey

    November 24, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    I agree with all of this! And I love the mommy-daughter matching shirts! You guys are the cutest! Hope you had a happy, healthy, relaxing Thanksgiving!

    • chelsea

      November 29, 2017 at 9:55 am

      very far from healthy unfortunately (and so gross) but at least we ate thanksgiving dinner before getting sick! hope you had a marvelous thanksgiving audrey! headed to catch up on your posts and your life because i need updates!

  5. chelsea jacobs

    November 29, 2017 at 6:40 am

    Yes, yes, yes. It truly does wonders (for me, at least) to go over lists like this and think about things (like breathing, HELLO) that I don’t often give thanks for.

    • chelsea

      November 29, 2017 at 9:54 am

      riiiight! can you imagine if we also had to think about breathing in addition to all the other stuff on our to-do list 🙂