Thirty “Thankful Things” {Week 1}

Ever since Emily was very little, part of our nightly routine has been what we call “Thankful Things”. At bedtime each night, we tell each other two things that happened in our day, or that exist in our life in general, that we’re thankful for. It doesn’t need to anything spectacularly amazing or even of any particular significance: a small kindness that we encountered that day, an object we love, a sight we saw—ANYTHING. Of course I am trying to instill in her a sense of appreciation and gratitude, but on a more selfish and pragmatic level, I also want to encourage her to be aware of the wonderful things in life, so she might have that “reserve” for those inevitable times when life isn’t quite as rosy as I want it to be for her.

And for years now, I have been thinking about taking a photo a day for the month of November to document 30 of my own Thankful Things, but I have never made the time. But this year, for many reasons, I am feeling particularly grateful and very inspired to actually do it.

So, here is the collection of my first seven Thankful Things!

Day 1: …for my coffee crowd that I meed with three times a week, made all the more special this week by the introduction of Starbucks’ annual holiday cup. This morning I deviated from my standard cappuccino and instead filled it with Carmel Apple Spice (I’d earned my freebie—another Thankful Thing!).

Day 2: …for the very much needed Saturday morning in bed watching mindless TV, surrounded by happy kitties… (And I am a dog person–can’t you tell?)

Day 3: …that my husband still brings me flowers even though our house is in complete disarray due to our kitchen remodel, and I have no vases and no counter surface to put them on because every square inch is covered with our displaced junk amidst a thick layer of dust… And I get irritated, at first, at having one more thing to deal with, but then realize a coffee cup will do, and flowers don’t need a pretty place to sit to still be lovely and make me happy—flowers sitting on plywood can look just as pretty as flowers sitting on a table. And especially that he loves me despite my crabbiness…

Day 4: (This one is going to display our weirdness perhaps more than I normally would in public, but in the spirit of full disclosure of my entire 30 days, I feel obligated to not skip one…) …that my husband manages to crack me up on a fairly regular basis. Since we are remodeling, we have also been cleaning out, and in making room in the garage for things like a temporary home for the fridge, we needed to relegate some garage stuff to the side yard, where we found her: an old, clearly neglected doll that Emily used to play with in the back yard, sitting forlornly (and creepily) in her stroller for many years. So in honor of the recent Halloween, on this morning he put her in my car (seatbelted in, of course—she needs to be safe) to greet us when I drove Emily to school. Never mind that it used to be love notes that he hid in my car… (That night we hid her under the covers on his pillow with a sign that said “Hug Me”, for him to find–-a tit for a tat…)

Day 5: …for a bit of down time to read a trashy novel. Also, for my Red Solo Cup: “You’re more than amazing, you’re more than fantastic, thank you for being my friend (especially during this remodel)… Red Solo Cup, I think I love you.” (Love that song—it cracks me up every time!)

Day 6: …for cozy pajamas, a fireplace, Grandma’s crystal, and peaceful time at the end of a long day!

Day 7: …for the last of the roses that don’t seem to realize it’s well into November (and for my Lensbaby!).