“The truth is that it’s what we say to ourselves in response to any particular situation that mainly determines our mood and feelings.” – Edmund J. Bourne
The noun, thankfulness, is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as:
- Conscious of benefit received
- Expressive of thanks
- Well pleased (February 10, 2017)
Merriam-Webster.com defines happy as:
- Feeling pleasure and enjoyment because of your life, situation, etc
- Showing or causing feelings of pleasure and enjoyment
- Pleased or glad about a particular situation, event, etc (February 10, 2017)
A few years ago I started making a routine of being thankful for at least 3 things a day by stopping and making a point to state them to myself, almost like a prayer of thanks. I started doing this as a wellness tool to help change negative thought patterns. Knowing that I am responsible for how I feel this thankfulness routine has helped me to stay positive. Even on days when things are rough or challenging there are so many things to be thankful for. It is like the idea that “every cloud has a silver lining.” Some days it is as simple as three words: family, coffee, hugs. Other days it is more descriptive: the sound of my boys laughing while we played tag in the backyard…
That said, I thought what a great exercise it would be to create a list of things that I am thankful for. Here are 25 things I’m thankful for. These 25 stem from my top 3: my boys, my husband, and myself.
- The sound of my boys laughing
- Every laugh we share together
- Being a mother and all that comes with it
- Rainbows
- Family Vacations
- Sunsets
- Clear night skies full of stars and a shining moon
- Thunderstorms
- Hot chocolate in a snowstorm
- My dogs
- My love of reading, getting lost in that great book
- My blog (writing)
- Creating memories
- Good health
- For all the colours in life
- Good food
- Music (especially when the boys sing & dance to it)
- For words
- Nature
- Marshmellows over a campfire
- The seasons
- Challenges – they enrich life
- Coffee – the taste, smell, and warmth
- Running & yoga
- Life
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle
What are 25 things you’re thankful for?
By Shari Marshall – 2017
Great list Shari. Laughter is such an important one.
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