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 – 8/20 – 8/26/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

8/20/2015 – Memes.

While being a huge time-suck, there are so many great memes out there. I also appreciate being able to make references to memes and have other people far-and-wide understand me.

8/21/2015 – E-books.

E-books really have changed my life. I have a library of books at my fingertips 24/7/365 – and I don’t have to carry anything extra to access them. It makes learning constantly that much easier.

8/22/2015 – Gummy Bears.

Gelatinous, sugary, gooey, tasty – gummy bears are one of my core weaknesses.

8/23/2015 – Having Partners.

We have partners everywhere in our lives and they make the ups and downs in life more bearable and more memorable. Our parents, spouses, significant others, friends, business partners, mentors, and so many more who care for us share our sorrows and our joys.

With their sharing of our experiences, they become our partners in whatever we do and they are the most important people in our lives.

8/24/2015 – Weekends / Days Off.

Work hard, play hard – the marvelous day off is oh-so-great. Leave all of your worries in bed and seize the day – even if that means a full day of R&R.

8/25/2015 – Canned Food.

I often wonder how much food would go to waste if we couldn’t can it. Even further, I wonder what our society would look like without canned food. Canning food is efficient, affordable, and a huge convenience in our busy lives.

8/26/2015 – Being Human.

It’s too easy to lose appreciation of simply being human. We overlook our capacity to have unfathomably complex conscious thought, to interpret abstract parts of our mere existence, and that our bodies and ingenuity allow us to experience so much and transcend many of our limitations.

Being human is a miracle – appreciate that today.

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?