I'm Grateful For...-Day 1

Day 1 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful for the moment of relief when you realize that the pain has subsided.
2. Meeting your soul mate and recognizing that you have known each other before.
3. Holding hands.
4. Big and loving bear hugs.
5. The support and loving presence of my sister.
6. Wishing on a star. Having that wish come true.
7. The moment when you are able to distinguish between your needs and your wants.
8. Having your friends and family appreciate your sense of humor.
   
9. The intimate bond of friendship that protects, nurtures, inspires and comforts.
10. I'm thankful most that I get to share the holidays with people that I really want to be with, my wonderful family.
    

I'm Grateful For...-Day 2

Day 2 Blessings:

1. Candles. I adore candles. I also love burning fragrance oils in my bedroom. There's something about walking into a room and automatically smelling cotton, apples, vanilla or the ocean breeze. I just love it.
2. Following your intuition and being delighted that you did.
3. I'm grateful for the dreams that I have that will not die because I was born to love it into full being.
4. Trying something new and loving it completely.
   
5. I'm thankful to be living by the beach now. The feel of the sand beneath my feet, the salty breeze and the warming rays of the sun make for a wonderful afternoon.
6. Realizing that there are no coincidences in life.
7. Summoning up the courage to surmount a challenge.
8. Oprah! : )
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 3

Day 3 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful for every exciting and fun thing that ever happens to me.
2. Finding the perfect gift for someone who is really hard to shop for.
3. I'm thankful to live in this technologically savvy time. I love that I can look at my watch and find out how many calories I've lost, how many miles I've walked, what my heart is and exactly how many steps I've taken.
4. Listening to older music and recalling happy moments. : )
5. Coming up with the perfect retort at the moment you need it and not two hours later.
6. Manicures and pedicures.
   
7. Being able to change plans at the very last minute and be totally cool with it.

I'm Grateful For...-Day 4

Day 4 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful for sometimes being at the exact right place at the exact right time. : )
2. Long overdue catchup chats on the phone with friends and family. I had one of these last night with a college friend and it had been WAY TOO LONG since we talked last!
   
3. Perfect and hassle-free traffic! Aaaahhh!! This is definitely music to my ears.
4. Sleeping in your beloved bed after being away for a few days.
   
5. Delighting in stimulating conversation and feeling as though you held your own.
   
6. An unexpected compliment that makes your whole day.
   
7. Listening to the whispers of your authentic self and taking that advice.
8. I'm thankful that I love exploring new cities.
9. I'm also thankful to have traveling buddies that enjoy exploring new cities right along with me.
   
10. I'm grateful that I have absolutely nothing to do today until 1pm and that's going to be a fun lunch.
    

I'm Grateful For...-Day 5

Day 5 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful that every time my 17month old nephew sees me now, his little face lights up and he calls my name (his version of my name anyways, "Eah")!
2. Champagne! Need I say more? I had some amazing champagne this past week in Chicago at the super fancy "Signature Room" on Michigan Avenue. It was delicious!
   
3. I'm thankful for living so close to my family. I can hop in the car whenever I need to make a quick last minute trip to them in San Diego. Soon, they are moving to Orange County so they'll be even closer! :)
   
4. Hot chocolate on cold rainy days. Yum!
5. A tall glass of cold milk. After living overseas most of my life and not having access to any good milk at all, I really enjoy the milk here in the states.
   
6. Long, endless conversations about important stuff and not so important stuff with very good friends.
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 6

Day 6 Blessings:

1. Being with someone where words aren't necessarily needed to communicate.
   
2. The first kiss.
3. I love watching others enjoy my creations. It could be a meal, flowers from your garden, or a pair of pants you just ironed.
4. Fans. I know this is a very little thing but I don't have air conditioning in my house so a little portable fan really saved me a few extremely hot days this summer.
5. Sitting by a nice cozy fire in the winter is very nice too.
6. Love letters and love emails. : )
   
7. Hearing those three words, I LOVE YOU.
8. Long awaited phone calls with good news.
   
9. Having a sense of humor during good and rough patches.
10. I'm extremely grateful for those amazing incredible moments that take your breath away. They are few and far between but they are out there.
    
11. I'm thankful for friends that will be there for you when your family can't.
    

I'm Grateful For...-Day 7

Day 7 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful to have people in my life that believe in me when I'm not able to believe in myself.
2. I love the feeling that comes with throwing stuff out. It's almost like I can breathe a little easier because there is less junk around.
3. I'm thankful that I have clothes that make me feel good about my body.
4. It's also very cool when you find something while out shopping that makes you feel this way.
5. Bargains at thrift shops, flea markets, garage sales and other places.
   
6. Fun eye contact with a gorgeous stranger. : )

I'm Grateful For...-Day 8

Day 8 Blessings:

1. Reading a book that changes your life and is completely underlined.
   
2. Savoring the scents of life.
3. I'm grateful for that amazing feeling that comes after a shower and washing your hair.
4. When you finally achieve a long sought after goal and the moment when your accomplishment emotionally clicks with you.
5. The comforting memories of my mother's soft hands as she hugs me tight.
6. The precious memories of my father's laughter filling a room.
7. A fortune cookie with just the perfect message.
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 9

Day 9 Blessings:

1. The wisdom learned through life experiences. Being able to use it is the key element.
   
2. Deja vu. It creeps me out a little but I'm grateful for it. It means that I can make a choice as to whether I want it to be deja vu all over again. I can change things.
   
3. All kinds of flowers. I love receiving and actually just buying them for myself. The next man in my life needs to know this! : )
4. Trusting in other people. I'm grateful for this.
   
5. Friendships that endure long distances. Heck, any kind of a relationship that can withstand long distances are incredible.
   
6. Feeling a sense of pride in yourself.
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 10

Day 10 Blessings:

1. Movies. I love it when I like a movie so much I want to see it again as soon as the credits roll. There have a few of those movies.
   
2. Feeling like I'm part of a group. I have amazing friends and I'll be grateful for them on another day's blessings, today I'm thankful for that sense of belonging to that group with them.
3. I was blessed to live overseas for most of my life. Enough said.
4. I have had some amazing food recently here in LA, there's really nothing like that first bite of something delicious.
5. Then, there is also something amazing about tasting the first morsel of your favorite comfort food. Mine would probably be a grilled cheese sandwich. Yum.
6. I'm grateful to have taken French classes all my life. I absolutely love the language and am so happy that I still THINK I can speak it. It's sad though that you lose what you don't use.
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 11

Day 11 Blessings:

1. I'm grateful for music. I love that when I first hear a piece of music and it instantly touches my soul. I adore that feeling.
2. On that note, it's wonderful being able to purchase that song immediately and add it to my music collection.
3. I'm grateful for random interesting conversations with strangers on planes or other public places. Today, for example, I met a man while on my run this morning and we talked for about an hour about life and running.
   
4. I love naps. (Doesn't it seem like every one of these posts has something about sleep? :) )
5. I'm thankful for every laughing fit. I love when I laugh so hard, I can't catch my breath and my sides begin to ache.
6. A good cry. I'm grateful for this release.
7. When I can bring joy, happiness, and comfort to another person or creature. This makes me most grateful.
8. Finding the ultimate parking spot, call it parking karma.
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 12

Here are my Day 12 Blessings:

1. This is a tad cheesy but I'm generally thankful for animals. I love dogs especially. I look forward to the day when I can own one as I've never owned my own dog.
2. While my fish is generally incredibly boring and offers little to no enjoyment in my life, I'm still happy every morning I wake up and he is still swimming around.
3. I'm grateful for the mindless entertainment that watching TV provides.
4. My pictures. I absolutely love all my pictures of family and friends everywhere. Usually the first thing anyone says when they come into my room is, wow, you've got a lot of pictures.
5. I'm glad to see that I have two bookshelves full of books to read. I'm excited to read them all. I make it a point never to buy new books unless I finish one. I've been reading the same book since August...: (
   

I'm Grateful For...-Day 13

Here are my blessings for Day 13:

1. I'm grateful to usually get 6-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night! All my life (so far) I've never been one of those people that tosses and turns and wakes up a million times throughout the night. Thank goodness, cause I LOVE sleep!
2. Breakfast in bed! There's something about eating your first meal of the day under warm covers. I enjoy eating a bowl of cereal in bed especially.
3. I'm able to pay all my bills.
4. I'm grateful that I can completely and utterly surrender to what is and then waiting expectantly for the good that is to come.
5. My magazines and the time to flip through each and every page.
6. Delighting in other people's children.
7. Delighting in my amazing nephew, Lucas. He is definitely my favorite person in the world!
8. The desire for knowledge. I love constantly learning new things. Teach away!
9. I'm grateful for bookstores. I feel closer to my family every time I'm in one.
10. The amazing sunrises and sunsets I've seen in my life.
    

I'm Grateful For...-Day 14

With Thanksgiving exactly 2 weeks away, I thought it would be a sweet idea to share with you a few blessings that I'm grateful for until the big turkey day arrives. Some will be little things while others will be huge. I think sometimes what really matters are the little things. : ) I hope this exercise will encourage you to think about what you are grateful for most in your own lives.


Day 14:

1. My home. The warmth and security of home. Crossing the threshold and closing the door after a trying day out there. I absolutely adore my house here in LA. It's one of the best things about my new life out here.
   
2. Expressions of unconditional love and support from my family and friends. They are amazing!
   
3. I'm grateful that I'm healthy and my loved ones are too.
4. The microwave and leftovers. Sure, this is a tad dumb but I'm thankful to not have to cook every single day. It's just so easy to throw in leftovers from last night's dinner and in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, you are chowin' down on some delicious food.
5. Feeling the presence of Spirit in your life. I'm not quite sure what it is but I know that I feel something. Perhaps, it's fate, serendipity, karma, or even angels guiding me, there's something around.
6. My boundless imagination. If given enough time, I think I can be pretty inventive. : )
7. I'm grateful whenever hope is restored within me.
   
8. Dreams. I'm blessed to have those textured images of happiness and good fortune that have me waking up with a smile on my face.
9. The kindness of strangers. More specifically, just a simple smile from a stranger. That seriously makes my heart happy every time.
   
10. I'm grateful for the few babysitting jobs that I have as they give me some form of income as I pursue my dream of being in the music industry.
    

Overlooked Blessings

Here is a list of 60 often overlooked blessings:

1. Faith. Faith is the ultimate goodness of Life. Faith in yourself. Faith that as your seek, your will find.

2. The dream that will not die because you were born to love it into full being.

3. The kindness of strangers.

4. The warmth and security of home. Crossing the threshold and closing the door after a hard day.

5. Expressions of unconditional love and support.

6. Your health. The health of those you love.

7. That moment of relief when you realize that the pain has subsided.

8. Sinking into a warm, softly scented bath after a stressful day.

9. The aroma of something delicious wafting from the kitchen.

10. Not having to cook tonight.

11. Your boundless imagination.

12. When hope is restored.

13. Following you intuition and being delighted that you did.

14. Daydreams. Reveries. Textured, technicolor nightscapes of happiness and good fortune that have you awakening with a smile.

15. Twelve hours uninterrupted sleep.

16. Seeing him and her and having your heart skip a beat.

17. An afternoon to do as you please.

18. Doing a great job and having it and your efforts appreciated.

19. The beach. The feel of the sand beneath your feet, the salty breeze, the warming rays of the sun.

20. Trying something new and loving it.

21. The desire for knowledge.

22. Meeting a kindred spirit.

23. Hearing a piece of music that instantly touches your soul.

24. Being able to add that music to your collection immediately.

25. Reading a passage in a book that expresses exactly how you feel.

26. Holding hands.

27. A nap.

28. Nailing the punch line in a favorite joke. Hearing the laughter.

29. Relishing a wonderful movie. Liking it so much you want to see it again as the credits roll. Seeing it again.

30. Laughing so hard, you can't catch your breath and your sides ache.

31. The sacred release of a good cry.

32. Bringing joy, happiness, and comfort to another person or creature.

33. Finding a parking space exactly when you need one.

34. Friendship that endures and thrives despite the obstacles of time and distance.

35. Speaking another language.

36. Reading a book that changes your life.

37. Receiving flowers.

38. The first morsel of your favorite comfort food.

39. The support and loving presence of sisters and/or brothers.

40. The first kiss.

41. Sharing the holidays with people you really want to to be with.

42. Finding, having and wearing something that makes you feel special.

43. The sense of relief throwing stuff out brings.

44. The person who believed in you when you weren't able to believe in yourself.

45. The precious lingering memory of your mother's sweet scent. The comforting memory of your father's hand.

46. Air-conditioning on an excruciatingly hot and humid day.

47. Receiving a love letter. Writing one.

48. A sense of humor during good and rough patches.

49. Perfect timing.

50. Sharing your aspirations for the future with a close friend.

51. Pampering yourself.

52. Family and friends who remember funny or uplifting stories about your past that you've forgotten and share them with you.

53. Rediscovering old family photos.

54. Waking up to perfectly beautiful day for a planned outdoor event.

55. An opportunity to interview for the dream job. Getting it.

56. An unexpected compliment that makes your day.

57. The sound of raindrops on your roof at night.

58. Coming up with the perfect retort at the moment you need it and not two hours later.

59. Listening to the oldies and recalling happy moments.

60. Friends and family who can both truly rejoice with you and console in times of sorrow.