101 Things I’m Grateful For

(Time to read the whole list: ~5 minutes)

I’m really grateful that I live in a country that has an annual practice of Thanksgiving.

It helps me remember to look around and notice all the benefits I receive each day.

This year I challenged myself to come up with a list of at least 100 things that I’m grateful for.

How many of these things also enrich your life?
And what else do you appreciate?
Share those with me here. (Be sure to press the “submit” button at the bottom of the page)

Being able to

1. See
2. See colours
3. Hear
4. Hear birds singing
5. Hear music
6. Hear people speak
7. Understand what other people say
8. Speak and be understood by others
9. Read
10. Write
11. Walk
12. Dance
13. Use my hands and arms
14. Type
15. Lift and carry things
16. Eat
17. Taste food
18. Smell delicious scents – like flowers and pine trees

Physical things

1. Trees
2. Grass
3. Sky
4. Lakes
5. Flowers
6. Sunshine
7. Snow flakes falling
8. Sunlight shining in a dewdrop
9. Shoes and boots
10. Warm clothing
11. That I have a place to live
12. Running water inside
13. Clean drinking water
14. Hot running water
15. Towels to dry off after I use running water
16. Sinks and buckets to hold running water so I can more easily use it to clean other things – dishes, clothes, floors, walls
17. Inside toilets – so I don’t have to go outside when it’s cold
18. Soft toilet paper
19. Soap – in a variety of formulations for various purposes – to clean me, to clean dishes, to clean clothing
20. Paper to write on – smooth and easy, in a variety of sizes and colours
21. Pens with beautifully coloured ink
22. Pencils that help me write
23. Erasers that let me change my mind
24. Crayons
25. Pencil crayons
26. Pastels
27. Colouring books
28. Whiteboards and beautifully coloured markers that let me stand and walk around while I think and talk
29. Tables to work and eat at
30. Chairs and sofas to sit on
31. Pillows to support my body in comfortable positions
32. Shelves, cabinets and drawers to hold things for me until I want to use them
33. Refrigerators to keep food fresh and safe to eat for longer
34. Freezers that do the same, for much longer
35. Stoves that enable me to cook and heat food

Tools that extend my capacity

1. The glasses that let me see more clearly
2. Cleaning cloths that help me keep my glasses clean and working well
3. Bicycles, cars, buses and airplanes that let me travel much greater distances than I could on my own
4. The roads, signs and signalling systems that make my journeys smooth and safe
5. Telephones that let me hear and talk to people who are far away
6. My cell phone and all its applications
7. Computers and applications that let me
   – See and talk to people who are far away
   – Produce more beautiful output than by writing by hand
   – Share what I write and produce with many people, including those who are far away
8. The internet that enables me to access the wisdom of so many people, right at my finger tips, any day of the year and any time of the day
9. Books and blogs and websites that people have created to share their wisdom with me so that my life may be enriched
10. Bags, boxes and knapsacks that enable me to carry things with greater ease than I could otherwise

Experiences with the physical world

1. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bras D’Or Lakes in Cape Breton
2. Spending time on my grandparents’ farm in Cape Breton, living in the house that my great-great-grandfather Rory MacLean built in the late 1800’s
3. Seeing northern lights dance in the Yukon
4. Hiking, canoeing and camping in Algonquin Park, Killarney and the Rocky Mountains
5. Spending time with huge old redwood trees in California
6. Watching Pacific Ocean waves roll onto the shore
7. Feeling the unique energy of New York City
8. Getting to see Scotland and England, where some of my ancestors are from
9. Spending time with the beauty of the Ontario landscape at friends’ cottages
10. Walking along the boardwalk by Lake Ontario

People whose work supports me

1. Delivery people who bring things to me
2. All the people in the supply chains who participate in these things being brought to me
3. Farmers who grow the food that I get to eat
4. Truckers and railway people who transport the food from where it is grown
5. People who pack and prepare the food for transport
6. People at the stores who unpack, care for and arrange the food attractively
   .
7. Application developers who create and update the apps that enable me to do certain kinds of work that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do, and enable me to do it with ease
8. People who write books and blogs and websites so that I can access their wisdom
9. People who design the products I use every day
10. People who produce the products I use every day
    .
11. The physicians and alternative health care providers who support me in maintaining my health, and learning what I can do myself to maintain my health
12. People who pick up my compost and recycling so that the materials can be reused
13. People who advocated for, designed and implemented the composting and recycling programs in my city
14. People who design, operate and maintain the sewage and water systems that enable me to have healthy, clean water to drink
    .
15. People who maintain the roads and subway and railway lines that support my travels
16. People who operate the buses, subways, trains and airplanes that give me opportunities to travel
17. The people who designed the TED talk system, and the people who organize, record and publish these talks on the internet – which gives me access to the distilled wisdom of experts from all over the world
    .
18. People who see things that are needed in the world – and who bring their care and creativity to helping to help find and implement solutions – whether they are consumer products, or ways of keeping people safe, or ways of sharing the wealth of the world more equitably so that everyone’s needs can be met
    .
19. The people who support those people to work toward their visions – whether by contributing directly to those initiatives, or by caring for other aspects of life to free up time to work on the vision. Because it is only with the support and involvement of many others that any of us can contribute to change.

My teachers

1. My parents – who taught me so many of the essential lessons of life, including the joy of contributing to the well-being of others
2. My sister Ruth and brother David – who deepened my experience of the miracle of human love, and both the joys and challenges of human relationships
3. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins – who deepened and reinforced all of these lessons, and helped me learn to appreciate some of the diversity of human gifts and personalities
   .
4. My elementary school teachers – who taught me to read and write and do arithmetic, and so gave me the essential tools for understanding and accessing so much recorded and stored wisdom of others
5. My high school teachers – who expanded my awareness of the world, and the joy of learning
6. My university professors – who helped me understand more fully the miracle of the human mind and spirit
   .
7. My first employers – who gave me access to computers, and expanded my appreciation of their wonders. And who also helped me gain better understanding of how to work more effectively with others.
8. My body’s health challenges – which helped me start to learn the importance of caring for this miraculous biological being which has been put into my care
9. My cats – Sasha and Midnight – who deepened my love and valuing of all living creatures
   .
10. Michael Cavitt – who introduced me to coaching
11. All of my coaching teachers and colleagues – who helped me learn the power of asking questions
12. Marshall Rosenberg – who exploded my understanding of the essential principles of human connection and communication
    .
13. My NVC colleagues and students – who continue to help me understand more and more fully what Marshall shared, and who daily build on the solid foundation of his work
14. John Stevens – my daily partner in seeking to learn and live the principles that Marshall illuminated.