Giving thanks for the small things

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:

My family
The endorphins that are released while singing
The friend who got me a part time job
The smell of soups cooking in winter
Discovering and embracing my inner nerd
My battered Starbucks mug that I drink strong coffee from each morning
My cat who repeatedly reminds me to stop for a break
The energy of the air after a storm
People who naturally see the positive in situations
Common sense
Books that make me think in new ways
Late night conversations with friends
Sharing what I know
Collaboration that produces more than the sum of the parts
Optimism
Great cheese – or in truth, almost any un-processed cheese
Going to new places
Understanding something that has been mystifying me
Noticing connections
The lure of the open road
Dreaming up new ideas
English chocolate
Rainbows
Completing a 5k walk
The kindness of strangers
Public transportation, especially when it runs regularly and often
The smell of a sleepy baby
The process almost more than the end result
The thoughtfulness and support of friends
Relatives who helped make me who I am today
The smell of coffee brewing
Spontaneous gatherings
The thrill of mastering something new
Overcoming fear
Sunshine on my skin
The moment when the house is just cleaned
A warm shower
Air conditioning
Transatlantic flights
Talking a walk
Letting your mind run free and finding gems amongst what comes up to the surface
Christmas dinner, the familiarity of repetition
Rediscovering the pleasure of making things from scratch
Bright colors
Interesting typography (see item 5!)
Curling up with an engrossing book
My favorite musicologist
My old red sweater that is so soft and cozy
Going back to school despite reservations
Sunny days
Snow on the ground and the silence it brings
Being warm, fed and comfortable