A Bazillion Things That Make Me Happy and Grateful

This post started out simply enough; in the spirit of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), I thought I’d share the top ten things that make me happy and grateful. Within a matter of minutes though, my list became enormous, quickly growing from 10 to 110, then, well…you can see what happened.

My peeps, of course, are what pack my heart most with gratitude…as do my dear friends and the fact that I’m healthy and still relatively fit. Most of all though, I’m grateful that I’m still grateful; that life still feels like an outrageous gift that is meant to be celebrated each day. That the magic has yet to fade. Here are a few more things that make me happy and grateful:

Teachers
Art
Hand-written letters
My husband’s cooking
Dining al fresco
Laughing until I cry
The view out my window
The way I feel after a long run
The smell of freshly ground coffee
Chocolate
Quiet moments
The feel and smell of a new book
Sand between my toes and hours at the beach
Learning to say, “What the hell, you only live once!” at a very early age
Random acts of kindness
Being surrounded by talented people
Books, books, and more books
Photography
Small world moments
Red licorice
Red wine
Paper stores
People who work hard at making a difference
The smell of eucalyptus trees
My daughter’s hugs
Knowing I can always stand on my own two feet
Levis
Butterfly kisses
Early mornings
Warm weather
Happy endings
Ideas
My three brothers
The Beatles
The blogging community
Writers whose words swirl into magic
Finding something I’m passionate about and diving in head first
Reading in bed on a Sunday morning
When the right words come to mind at the right time
Creativity
History
Old movies
Flip-flops
Globes
Long showers
The sound of rain
Sun streaming through my window when I write
Finding a perfect moment in each day
Quotes that inspire me
Lists
Cupcakes
A fire in the fireplace
Convertibles
Surprise parties
Airplanes that take me on new adventures
Discovering–new places, ideas, cultures, books, music
Neighbors
My daughter’s art
Roasting marshmallows
People with nice manners
When my husband brings me coffee in bed
Long meandering conversations with my BFF
Wrap around porches
Boogie boarding
Learning something new
Aspen
Typography
Real deal lemonade
Eye-crinkling smiles
The smell of Coppertone
Freshly baked bread
Helping somebody
The power of our imaginations
Getting smarter as I get older
Bubble baths
Margaritas
Grandparents
Old houses
Old friends
Popcorn
A bouquet of flowers-especially tulips
People who are working hard to find a cure for cancer
“A food”–almonds, artichokes asparagus and avocados
Watching my husband when he’s in his creative element
Book stores
Fall colors
Stuffing
HGTV
Designing cards
The internet, and what it offers
Friends who “get me” without any explanation
Birthdays and my favorite holidays: Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving
When people do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do
A good night’s sleep
Marathons
Picnics
Invitations
Journals
Time to myself
Time with my family
Iced lattes
Thesauruses
Chaise lounges
Matinees
True love
My laptop
Long summer nights
Backyard parties
Concerts
Belting out favorite old songs
Dancing in the kitchen with my husband
Hearing my daughter laugh from the belly
Having a fairly big extended family
The number 7
My inner drive
Fresh crisp sheets
A really great work-out
Vanilla milkshakes
Colors-anything but beige
Traveling
Slippers
Being outside
Charming accents
Magazines
Fitness
Sushi
CBS Sunday Morning
People who don’t know they’re funny
The way chocolate martinis and jazz go together
Seeing the lightbulb go off in my daughter’s head
Homemade chicken soup
The New York Times
Libraries
My Ipod shuffle
The bubbles in bubbly
Candlelight
Watching my daughter sleep
People who take a chance on you when it goes against reason
My gut instinct, which has steered me right most of the time
Watching an exquisite ballet performance
People with infectious enthusiasm
Cute old couples
Rose gardens
Photo albums
Dogs that look like mops
Finding something you thought was lost long ago
Living with no regrets
Reunions
Hummingbirds
Baby fat
Loyalty
Thursdays
Cookie dough
Cool postage stamps
Memories of my grandparents’ houses
The way my husband’s hand automatically goes up to his heart when he throws his head back in laughter
The cool breeze you feel when you sit next to a rushing river
Figuring something out all on my own
The passion of Pavarotti
The perfect writing pen
The improbable
Amazing Grace

What three things are you most grateful for (besides your wonderful friends, family and health)?

34 thoughts on “A Bazillion Things That Make Me Happy and Grateful

  1. Pingback: Fueling Setbacks with Gratitude | Run Be Run

  2. Pingback: First Improbable Blogiversary | The Art of an Improbable Life

  3. Becky, let me add my congratulations and my thanks to you for your lovely and inspiring list! If only everyone were inspired enough to write a list of 3 things daily and to focus on them just for that day, the world might be a better, more peaceful place!

    In response to your prompt, here are my 3 things:
    Watching an airplane take flight, or, better still, being on that flight and savoring that moment of lift-off when the wheels come up and you, suddenly, are airborne!
    My cat’s “happy dance”: when he is purring and very contented, he starts kneading the velour throw on my bed as though he were doing a little, happy dance :)
    Cathedrals — the older, the better. I always feel as though I can hear the old stones talking to me.

    Here’s to things for which to be grateful and to a very special and happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

    • Thank you, Candice. I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun I had making this list, and how easy it came to me. That in itself makes me grateful. I love what you added, and how you described each. Airplanes give me that same exhilaration. Happy Thanksgiving!

  4. Great post for the day!
    Mine is Paper stores too-I could roll around on paper produvcs the way Demi Moore did in Indecent Proposal! lol
    The Blooming Late group which has practically changed my entire life around in 6 months and brought me onto a higher path!
    My cat who I think is an angel in disguise sometimes.

  5. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great holiday and thank you for the great post.

    I am grateful for:
    Those moments when I am completely present in the moment, especially when I’m not trying for it.
    That my husband finds the same small silly things humorous.
    French champagne.

  6. Wow, Nice list. I could just adopt your list with a few exception (instead of coffee, running, licorice, marshmallows, sushi, flip flops and 3 brothers–I’d substitute tea, walking, peppermints, fluff, tempura, converse and 3 brother-in-laws)
    I’d add these three things-gardening, my neighbors, and pharmaceuticals (harsh as chemo is I’m thankful for it)

    • Lynne, your gratitude toward chemo says oodles about your attitude. Cancer runs deep in our family so I’ve had a peek into the challenges of kicking this disease in the ass. Sounds like you are in the right frame of mind. Bravo. And I love your substitutions and your additions to the list. Neighbors should definitely be on mine. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Love this post, Becky – and your title :-) . But wait – you get to write a whole list and we only get to write three things we’re grateful for? Ah, but then, this is your post. We can – and should – write our own. Okay – here are three that made my list for 2011 (in addition to the ones that always make my list):
    * Happy memories, even those that are bittersweet
    * Travel to Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
    * My supportive writing group
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your lovely family, Becky ~

    • Thanks, Nancy. It’s great you feel constricted by three–that means you have much to celebrate. Thanks for sharing. I especially like “happy memories, even those that are bittersweet.” Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!

  8. Nice List Becky. You have a long list of things to be happy and grateful. And it’s really a great thing.
    Three things i am most grateful for are- (Let me think, i do not have the luxury to choose from such a long list as yours)
    love of those people whom I love, blessings of God & Elders, Strength to overcome any problem in life.

  9. Great list, Becky. There’s almost nothing left to add, except the fact that my mom is still alive and relatively healthy. We don’t see each other often—she lives in Israel, I live in Canada—but we talk on the phone twice a week. And every time I hear her voice, I’m grateful.
    But here are the 3 three things I’m grateful for that are not family or friends:
    Tchaikovski’s Waltz of Flowers from Sleeping Beauty
    A good laugh, as when I watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
    A good book. I’m reading one of those at the moment: Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss. What a treat! And you introduced me to it, so thank you, Becky.

  10. I live where I see the beauty of the four seasons changing
    I am [almost] debt-free
    I get 4 good night kisses (6, if you count the canine ones)

    You give thanks so well :)

    • I like your list! I wish I could add seasons to my list, but now that we’re in SoCal, it’s not as dramatic as when we were in CO. It’s all good though. No, actually it’s all great. Thanks for sharing your three. Happy Thanksgiving.

  11. Awesome list! Wow! And ditto to virtually everything you wrote!

    Let’s see, for me it would be…
    Long mountain hikes
    Writing, even when stories don’t work, reviews aren’t great, etc. — I love the puzzle of creating and learning, whether or not I get the results I want.
    The incredible flexibility that exists in my life, where we can live anywhere we want.

    Life is good! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

  12. Wow, that is quite a compliment. Thank you. I guess the ease with which I made this list is why I’m most grateful. Life is still something to celebrate. I love how you described your “three things.” I want to add one thing to my list: Harper Faulkner’s writing. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your peeps!

  13. Becky, this IS a great list and reminds us all that we have so much to be thankful for. And like, Chrissy, I love that Thanksgiving is relatively commercial free. You may also wish to check out bestselling author Lisa Napoli’s blog: http://everythingbhutan.wordpress.com/, as she posts three things she is grateful for every single day, which always leaves a smile on my face the first thing every morning. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for making me smile and reminding me of how lucky we are!

    • Thanks, Susan. I’m glad I could add a smile to your morning. I was just looking at Lisa Napoli’s site yesterday (from yours), and will take another peek today. I like what she’s doing. Thanks for stopping by again, and enjoy your Thanksgiving. We do indeed have a lot to be thankful for!

  14. What a wonderful post! I have to say that Thanksgiving is probably my most favorite holiday because it is about being grateful and about friends,family and food. Nothing commercial about it.
    I have something I often do, especially if I’m feeling down, downtrodden or sorry for myself; I write 10 things I am grateful for in my journal. Sometimes it is just breathing; but isn’t that such a miracle?
    So today, after your long, inspired list, I can only be very simple – the breath I take with each step I make, the smell of pine trees in the sun, the gift of finding happiness in very small places. Happy Thanksgiving!

  15. I kid you not, that is the best list I have ever read! Really, Becky, you are special! And thanks for listing me–”Cute old couples.” I know you had my wife and me in mind! Three things I am grateful for besides my wonderful friends, family and health–well, my dog. I love my dog. When she puts her precious hairy head on my shoulder, well, my heart fills to the top. My truck. I know it’s a thing, but I love having it and I love when people call me and ask me to help them because I have a truck. It’s good to feel needed. Finally, I guess, it would be the ocean. I find peace when I am at the ocean or on it. God bless you and Jeffrey and the entire clan and have a deluxe Thanksgiving!

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