A couple weeks ago my mother challenged me on Facebook to complete something called the ’10 Day Thankfulness Challenge”. The object of this exercise was to write down (ie post to FB) 3 things you were thankful for each day for 10 days. Now I know several things to be true: A) This activity is completely made up. B) Not everyone on Facebook wants to read about my thankfulness for 10 days C) There is very little chance of me remembering to do this every day for 10 days C) I’ve spent 15 26 days now, contemplating what I would write each day IF I accepted this challenge…I guess if the point of the experiment was to make someone reflect on what they are thankful for, then my mother wins and the challenge was a success. So without further adieu is here my list of 30 things I am thankful for. I’m not even going to challenge anyone to write their own. Heck, you don’t even have to read them if you don’t want to.
1) My parents–apparently they got really lucky, or they knew something about child-rearing, because my brother and I turned into mostly functional contributing members of society.
2) My husband–he’s a great guy and a great dad and a great listener and a great friend. So glad he’s mine!
3) My kids–Thankful they’re happy and healthy and so far just challenging enough to keep me on my toes.
4) Our new house and yard–and I’m thankful that our little family enjoys making good use of it.
5) Skype–because it makes my family in WI seem not so very far away, and allows my kids to talk to their grandparents on an almost daily basis.
6) Social Media–although sometimes it is beyond obnoxious, it lets me strike up a conversation with someone I haven’t seen in ages because I don’t feel like I’ve been totally out of touch with their life.
7) My job/coworkers–OK mostly my coworkers. I could be doing this job in a lot of different places, but am thankful that my coworkers make it enjoyable.
8) The changing of the seasons–I’ve learned I would have a hard time living in a place without 4 distinct seasons, each of which is beautiful here in Utah.
9) My breast-pump–weird right? As much as I loathe spending time with that thing it has helped me continue to breastfeed two little boys after returning to work. I’ve probably saved a million dollars in formula by now.
10) Swiffer dusters and Magic Erasers–I learned the hard way that you should not use a magic eraser on your face, but other than that we’ve had great times together. They really are magic! And the Swiffer finds dust I didn’t even know I was looking for. It’s that great!
11) Christopher–William I love you, but Christopher has taught me to actually enjoy babies and has brought a sense of calm into out home. He might be the reason (God willing) you’ll get another sibling some day.
12) Growing up on a Dairy farm–it was a wonderful way to grow up as a kid and taught me about work ethic, growing things, nature and animals.
13) That I don’t have to make a living dairy farming–see #12. It was a wonderful place to grow up, but a heck of a hard way to make a living.
14) Automatic Sprinklers and a Garage–I know I already said I’m thankful for our new-ish house, however these were two major upgrades I am thankful for during the hot dry summers and cold winters here in Utah.
15) My washing machine–Beats using rocks in the river any day. Sometimes I get whiny about how much laundry I have to do, but thank-you to whomever invented the washer and dryer. Now if they would just fold themselves.
16) This blog/AKA Aroundherelately.com–For 9 years now I have had a place to write, daydream, update, document, and share and I find it very therapeutic.
17) Ice cream–Even above chocolate and coffee this might be my one true vice…but such a tasty vice to have.
18) Amazon Prime–Free 2 day shipping and I can shop in my PJ’s. What else is there to explain?
19) Modern medicine–without it I would have two painful feet, a bum knee, some missing teeth and probably have died giving birth to William. Glad there’s a team of medical professionals out there to keep us all in working order.
20) Freedom–that I live in a place where I can do/be/believe almost anything I’d like.
21) Our neighborhood–we have a summer block party, fireworks on the 4th and 24th of July, neighbors that brought food and gifts after Christopher was born, and are just generally friendly in so many ways! We love it here!
22) My hot wax–saves so much time plucking and keeps me from prematurely growing some kind of old lady she-beard.
23) Grocery store shopping carts shaped like cars–you know the ones that are too big to steer, always look dirty and usually have one squeaky wheel? Well if that’s what it takes to get through the store, I’ll be driving it. The red one better be available.
24) That I learned how to bake and cook growing up–nothing like home-cooked food. Jason fell for it.
25) Plants–house plants make me especially happy.
26) Contact Lenses–I’m pretty much blind. While it lasts, my contacts will keep me from wearing absurdly large and/or heavy glasses and allow me to wear any pair of sunglasses I deem fit.
27) Our Daycare lady Debbie–really she should be number 4 on this list. She takes such wonderful care of the boys and because of her they are turning into smart polite little gentlemen (at least as much as they can be at 5mos and 2 1/2 years).
28) Our bathrooms at work generally smell nice–this small perk really helps me get through the workday. I’ll be hiding in the bathroom now.
29) Vaccines–glad my kids don’t have to suffer from once debilitating diseases that are now preventable.
30) My camera phone–There are so many moments I’ve been able to capture due to having my phone with me.