All too often we only set aside one time per year to really, truly give thanks for all we have. Even those who feel they don’t have a lot have one thing we should all be thankful for; the gift of life. Beauty is all around us and if we can capture that sense of continued awe when we stop, take a breath, and appreciate all of the things we enjoy but take for granted, the world instantly looks like a better place.

Gratitude and appreciation is truly the conduit to happiness, a sense of purpose, and a fuller life. I’ve been meaning to start a gratitude journal now, and the idea struck me that it would be even more powerful to share it and inspire others to do the same. My aim is to find one thing to be grateful for each day which will force me to dig deeper to see tiny details that make our lives great but go overlooked.

Without further ado:

#ThankfulThursday – 5/21 – 5/27/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

5/21/2015 – My Own Insignificance.

Life can be hard. When things are not going so well it can feel like the end of the world. Do you want to know what makes anything I run into feel really silly? When you think about how, in the grand scheme of things, how utterly insignificant we are. In the pursuit of whatever it is we’re after, our sense of how important our goals gets blown completely out of proportion. That’s great and helps us do great things, but in that fixation we lose sight of the big picture – and in that big picture what really matters is our relationships with each other, and how much that matters to the Universe is unfathomably unimportant. Find the peace in the fact that the sands of time quickly wash over anything we experience.

5/22/2015 – Scotch.

There’s a certain craftsmanship to creating a good Scotch that I find an appreciation for, and it is my spirit of choice for a moment of relaxation after a long day.

5/23/2015 – Trails.

One of my favorite things about Washington, hands down, are the abundance of beautiful and well-kept trails within a stone’s throw of wherever you might be. Trails make it so easy to safely trek out deep into nature, get some exercise, and bond with mother nature.

5/24/2015 – Maps.

The earliest maps are a remarkable achievement. Early cartographers used extremely-complex techniques to map the entire world to a staggering level of detail. Of course today we have a multitude of technologies which makes creating maps very easy, but their mere existence is incredibly valuable. They’ve been crucial in our understanding of the world itself and today are staggeringly-convenient as Google Maps helps me get to wherever I’m going, no matter how foreign a new place might be.

5/25/2015 – Funny Animal Videos.

There’s a common joke (that has some data behind it) that Youtube is primarily a place to share videos of cats. Not only cats, but animals of every kind and their hilarious antics. They are one of those things that we generally regard as a waste of time, but the value of laughter and the happiness it brings is priceless.

5/26/2015 – Complete Days.

Some days it seems like you wake up early on the right side of the bed and have risen as Superman/Woman. You make a great breakfast, wash the dishes, vacuum, get a workout in – and that’s before you even head off to work. Then you get to work and you get a remarkable amount done, come home and cook a great supper, hang out with friends, call your parents, and find time to watch some TV before an early bedtime. You’ve had the complete day and it feels like you’re ontop of the world. It’s a great feeling and it gives you a glimpse of what you hope to accomplish every day.

5/27/2015 – Public Transportation.

The buses and trains that are intricately coordinated to transport as many people to as many places as possible – and very cheaply are a remarkable achievement. As our cities get larger and the roads more crowded, efficient and convenient public transportation is having a bigger and bigger impact on our lives. If you are fortunate enough to live in a place where you can hop on a nearby bus that takes you directly to an area near where you work – I imagine you share my sentiment that public transportation is a convenient, inexpensive, efficient, and “responsible” way to get around.

Your turn

I’m always looking for more inspiration, so tell me, what’s one thing you’re grateful for from the past week? I’ll share a few submissions during next week’s post and intend to keep that going all year long. While I love #ThrowbackThursday, I’d love to see #ThankfulThursday take off too.

The more we can say thanks, the better off we’ll be. Especially because we don’t know if we’ll be able to say “thanks” to those we care about tomorrow or to those who’ve touched us that we’ll never cross paths with again – why wait?