15 Things to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It’s one of my favorite holidays. I love gathering with close family and friends, spending the day cooking and prepping to get everything ready and perfected for a massive feast. I love sitting around talking and catching up with those I love and maybe haven’t seen in a while. I love being thankful. I love the food coma. Not to mention Christmas comes shortly after!

It’s all so great, and it’s almost here! But with the hundreds of dishes and recipes to sort through, the guest list, the decorations and the party, it gets pretty easy to forget about the real reason we’re gathering in the first place. To give thanks. To gather with those we love, value, and cherish and sit together enjoying each other’s company, reminiscing in the gratitude from all areas of life, and of course, to eat good food too.

When you really think about it though, there is so much to be grateful for.

The more grateful you are, the more exciting life gets. The easier it gets to see the good side of things, to not be so bothered with minor inconveniences. When you are grateful for things in all areas of life, you are subconsciously attracting more of that in to your life. So be grateful for everything, big and small. Find the things that make you feel good. Find the things that make you feel grateful, and then keep them in your life.

Which is why I’ve put together a list of 15 short, but substantial things to be thankful for this thanksgiving. Maybe you talk about them at the dinner table with your family, maybe you write a short journal entry about all the other things in your life you are thankful for. Either way, I really encourage you to think about and reflect on all the amazing things to be thankful for- because there’s a lot.

Let’s start.

1. You are Alive!

You’re breathing. That in and of itself is absolutely astounding. There is so much to be grateful for with each inhale and exhale. There are so many wonderful things that are left to experience in this life, along with all the many great things that you’ve already experienced! Life is beautiful!

2. The Little Things

That precious sunrise this morning, that little puppy that walked by you today, the smile or snarky remark your kid said that made you laugh this morning. The small wins. Finding a couple bucks in your jean pocket. A good hair day. Finding something you thought you had lost. Nothing is ever too small to celebrate.

3. Family and Friends

This is a no-brainer! And one of the greatest things we celebrate during Thanksgiving. The amazing humans that surround us, support us, and love us unconditionally. Life would be a lot harder without them. Sometimes, the ones I love most are the ones that drive me the craziest- and lets be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. Mother Nature

From the precious sunset to the mountains we live on, the beaches we get to vacation on, the lakes and rivers we swim in, and the rain that waters our garden. I find so much gratitude for the land I get to live on!

5. Good Health and Healthy Living

It is such a blessing to be able to take care of our bodies. To treat them well with plenty of love and kindness, to be healthy enough to climb mountains and take care of ourselves every step of the way. Good health results from healthy living and healthy choices, and it is such a blessing to be able to make those choices and live happily and healthily.

6. Furry Friends

There is no companionship more dear and true than that of a furry friend. Whether it’s your sweet dog, your smart cat, or your crazy hamster. The loyalty, paws, and soft fur are just too great not to give thanks for.

7. Your favorite exercise and the ability to do it

Can I just give out a huge THANK YOU to my body?! It does so much for me! And I am so, so thankful for my favorite exercise (which is running), and for the ability my body has to do it! No matter what your favorite exercise is, let’s just be thankful that it exists! It would suck if everyone was forced to just lift weights at the gym as our only form of exercise. There’s so many awesome exercises out there, and how awesome that our bodies have the ability to move!

8. Food. Water. Shelter.

Let’s be honest here. These are the basics. Can’t live without them. If you can cross these off, you’re already doing better than a lot of the population on earth. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook that when we really shouldn’t, and we should always give thanks for the three most basic things that allow us to stay alive, happy, and healthy.

9. A good laugh

There’s nothing better than slapping your hand against your knee, throwing your head back, wide mouthed, loud laughter. The kind that makes your cheeks hurt! There’s nothing that lifts a mood better than a good laugh. Thank God we have them!

10. Challenges

This may sound weird to hear at first. Be thankful for the things that challenge me? But no, in retrospect, the challenges that we face daily are what keep us going. The next big thing to overcome, our next goal, they all lead us to our next big win. Our challenges keep us striving for improvement and to become the best version of ourselves. That’s huge, and we should always give thanks for those things too.

11. Gooooood Food

I mean the good stuff. The stuff that makes your taste buds melt and sizzle. The type of food that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. All that amazing stuffing and mac n’ cheese at the dinner table this thanksgiving. Mmmmmm

12. Your favorite Song

You know which one I’m talking about. That song that always comes on and just lightens the mood. Brightens your day. Makes you sing your heart out and dance like no one’s watching. I am so happy that song exists.

13. Traveling

The ability to be able to get to experience new places on earth, find out more about new cultures, see beautiful sights, and meet new people along the way is something I can never get enough of! There is so much gratitude to be found around the world, and I’m so thankful I can search for it every now and then!

14. Unconditional Love

There is nothing in this world like knowing you are loved by somebody so special to you. And what’s even better is that you love them back just as much, if not more. Knowing that no matter what you do, where you are, and how you’re doing, they will always love you. Now that is special. And what better to have them celebrating thanksgiving with you?

15. God.

The One who’s always looking out for you. The One that will always be there and always has been. The One that we should give thanks to first and foremost, that comes before anything, and that allows us the opportunity to even get to be thankful for the many other things in our life. Thank you 🙂