300 Reasons to be Grateful
4 min readJul 11, 2017
In an effort to practice ongoing gratitude for the gift that is “the present”, here’s a list of three hundred people, places, and things I’m very grateful to experience in my life so far. Work in progress!
300 Reasons to be Grateful
- clean drinkable water
- flushable toilet
- indoor plumbing
- electricity
- the library
- books
- internet access
- bus
- train
- subway
- shoes
- antibiotics
- vitamins
- painkillers
- eyeglasses
- medical insurance
- dental care
- medical professionals
- mental health
- physical health
- neighbors
- community members
- friends who take me to the airport
- friends who look after my children
- friends at work
- notebooks
- pens
- knitting supplies
- having work that is meaningful
- making a positive difference through my work
- framed pictures
- stationery
- postage stamps
- handmade card supplies
- Sharpie markers
- the New York Times
- the Washington Post
- my library card
- Google calendar
- my family
- airplanes
- traveling the world
- rivers
- lakes
- streams
- mountains
- beaches
- valleys
- deserts
- jungles
- teachers
- pens
- pencils
- crayons
- construction paper
- scissors
- markers
- glue
- the Montessori method
- public education
- sponges
- dishwashers
- forks
- chopsticks
- knives
- spoons
- refrigerators
- woks
- mixing bowls
- spatulas
- black tea
- Earl Grey tea
- coffee
- green tea
- chamomile tea
- rice milk
- whipped cream
- peppermint hot cocoa
- Korean instant coffee
- Prêt lattes
- organic options
- locally sourced produce
- sustainable agriculture
- fertile soil
- rainfall
- grass-fed
- free-range
- hand-made
- family farms
- people who care about the humane treatment of animals
- Cara Cara oranges
- Fuji apples
- Cotton Candy grapes
- Bartlett pears
- bananas
- fresh raspberries
- blackberries on the vine
- blueberries
- Manila mangos
- sweet ripe strawberries
- orange juice
- lox
- everything bagels
- cream cheese
- bacon
- eggs
- spinach
- butter
- baguettes
- strawberry jelly
- arugula
- baby kale
- baby spinach
- swiss chard
- watercress
- romaine
- baby lettuce
- butter lettuce
- carrots
- radishes
- broccoli
- asparagus
- brussel sprouts
- zucchini
- cucumbers
- green beans
- snap peas
- cabbage
- radishes
- chard
- hamachi sushi
- saba sushi
- spicy tuna rolls
- california rolls
- rainbow rolls
- white rice
- brown rice
- soy sauce
- edamame
- vegetable tempura
- angel hair pasta
- peas
- bacon
- parmesan cheese
- white sauce
- alfredo sauce
- tomato sauce
- pesto sauce
- lasagna
- ratatouille
- Marcona almonds
- walnuts
- macadamia nuts
- raw almonds
- pine nuts
- Brazil nuts
- pecans
- peanuts
- cashews
- pistachios
- Toblerone
- peanut butter
- almond butter
- cashew butter
- goat cheese
- brie
- cranberries
- blueberry muffins
- banana bread with walnuts
- rocky road ice cream
- Jalapeno Cheetos
- Pocky
- florentines
- Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups
- Coffee Rio coffee candies
- Sour cream and onion Pringles
- Macadamia nut chocolate-covered shortbread from Big Island Candies
- Zzang bars
- Jelly Belly jellybeans
- electric lighting
- beeswax votive candles
- matches
- fireplaces
- sleep
- fluffy pillows
- fresh sheets
- flannel pajamas
- ceiling fans
- clean sheets
- garbage pickup
- recycling
- compost
- outdoor educators
- Thinx underwear
- kittens
- kindness in strangers
- people passionate about their work
- people who #makeapositivedifference
- our planet
- longitude
- Antarctica
- the Arctic Circle
- the prime meridian
- Tropic of Cancer
- Tropic of Capricorn
- Southwest Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- jet blue
- airport lobby wi-fi
- MacBook Pros
- iPads
- iPhones
- Communication in general
- the Chrome browser
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Outlook for Work
- Shared photo albums
- Viber for group texts
- Nancy Ringwald
- Brian Cox, for recruiting
- the Finger Lakes region
- Ithaca
- Risley Hall 4th and a 1/2 floor
- Frank H. T. Rhodes
- Professor Ron E. Pitt
- Professor Daniel Krall
- Professor Louis D. Albright
- Professor Jean Hunter
- Professor Jane-Marie Law
- Professor
- the Panama Canal
- the S.S. Universe (Semester at Sea)
- Our 10 port cities on the semester at sea:
- Nassau Bahamas
- La Guaira, Venezuela
- Salvador, Brazil
- Capetown, South Africa
- Mombasa, Kenya
- Madras, India
- Penang, Malaysia
- Hong Kong
- Beijing
- Keelung, Taiwan
- Kobe, Japan
- Seattle, Washington
- windsurfing
- France, and particularly Paris
- Peru
- Machu Picchu
- the Nazca Lines
- Bolivia
- Lake Titicaca
- Capetown
- South Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Cairo
- the Nile River
- Turkey
- The Grand Bazaar
- Jerusalem
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Dome of the Rock
- Shiraz
- Esfahan
- Now Ruz holiday
- Travelling with good friends
- Great backpacks
- Hefty garbage bags
- Avon Skin-so-Soft as a mosquito repellent
- shampoo bar
- hot showers
- slippers aka flip-flops
- Molokai
- Honolulu
- Maui
- the Road to Hana
- California
- Spy novels
- Sci-fi novellas
- Short stories by Flannery O’Connor
- Rudyard Kipling, “If” and the Jungle Book
- Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
- China Mieville, all his work but especially Perdido Street Station
- Alice Walker, The Color Purple
- Tracy Chevalier, everything — her books get better each time I read them
- The Sparrow, and Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell
- Fairy tales
- Disney movies especially Moana
- AndrewsHoney.com and Andrew Coté
- Dear ones in New York City — Sabina, Alex and Rebecca, Alex B, Miguel and Ana
- Relatives in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Hawaii, the UK, the Philippines, Japan
- Bessie, JAA, Sarah, and others who have been friends for many years
- My wonderful parents
- My beautiful sisters
- My supportive spouse
- My son
- My daughter
- My youngest child ;-)
Make your own list!
