42 things to add to a gratitude list

Cicero, the 1st Century Roman orator once said: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

The U.S. Holiday of Thanksgiving took place last week, but hopefully we’re not expressing thanks just one day of the year.  Daily gratitude is a key to happiness, health, success and balanced living.

So I get to write about it again.

Sometimes people get dejected, or have suffered great loss and find it difficult to find anything to be thankful for.

One of the best spiritual practices I know is to list at least 5 things you are grateful for every night before you go to bed and every morning when you wake up. That can help lift our spirits no matter what is going on.

So my goal today is to help you out by listing things we can express gratitude for – things that we may just take for granted.  Things it may not occur to us to be grateful for.

Here goes:

1. A roof over our heads
2. Clothing
3. Shoes
4. Hat, mittens, scarf, boots and heavy coat in cold weather
5. Lightweight cotton in warm weather
6. Computers
7. Smart phones [yes, I know they’re computers, but they’re really in a class by themselves]
8. Refrigerators
9. Stoves
10. Dishwashers
11. Washing machines and dryers for clothes
12. Electricity
13. Lamps
14. Automobiles
15. Fruits and vegetables [especially organic]
16. Farmers
17. Windows so we can see the sky, trees, birds and more
18. Friends
19. Family
20. Playing cards
21. Games
22. Bicycles
23. Beds
24. Mattresses
25. Blankets
26. Chairs
27. Tables
28. Lamps
29. Band-aids
30. Emergency Aid organizations
31. Flowers
32. Snow
33. Rain
34. Books
35. Television
36. Films
37. Radio
38. Wind that blows away our troubles
39. Kleenex
40. Indoor plumbing
41. Hot running water
42. Holiday lights that brighten our spirits

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  What haven’t I listed?  Please add to this list in the comments section.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”  Meister Eckhart