We tend to focus more on gratitude and giving thanks in the fall. Consider, however, all there is to be grateful for every single day.
- Color. Sunsets, Gauguin paintings, green peppers, blue eyes. Imagine a world without color.
- Beauty. What do your eyes feast on? What splendor makes your soul rejoice? It is all around us every day. How often do you stop to drink it in?
- Music. What inspires you, lifts your mood? Rock & roll, African drumming, violin concertos, Turkish ud, gospel? A nightingale?
- Young children. They model for us innocence, faith, resilience, playfulness and unconditional love.
- The ability to learn. There is no age limit on learning. When we stop learning, we really stop living.
- Opportunity. It’s our steady companion, and it’s always ready to take us down a path yet unknown. (Hint: We just have to say “Yes!”)
- The plant world. From the productivity of a late-summer tomato plant to the delicate unfurling of a fern, nature’s exuberance and tenderness is something to behold.
- The ability to give. Every act of love benefits the giver as much as the receiver.
- The senses. Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell—daily miracles each of them.
- Change. It’s unavoidable; the only constant. Change can be unsettling or challenging. But the mystery of it and what lies beyond it can keep us young at heart.