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 – 5/7 – 5/13/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

5/7/2015 – Momentum.

Momentum is a bittersweet kind of thing. On one hand, once things start rolling they will tend to want to keep moving forward. On the other hand, when you’re stuck in a rut and barely moving, you have to work super hard to get going.

But through that struggle of focused effort, momentum becomes a triumphant and awesome thing. Things that required a ton of energy now seem to happen on their own. You can then turn your sights onto bigger, better, and/or other things and keep things rolling. Momentum is your reward once you’ve fought back against it enough.

5/8/2015 – Stillness.

I have the pleasure of living in a really beautiful, quiet neighborhood on the side of a big hill looking out over the Puget Sound. One of my favorite things about it though is how often it gets almost eerily still and quiet. So quiet that you can hear your ears ringing.

There’s something so reassuring and peaceful about that deafening still and quiet. A moment that feels oddly your own and it feels like it resets and re-calibrates your mind. And, for me, I think it reminds me of being home where I used to live outside of town where our nearest neighbor was nearly a mile away and it also wasn’t hard to find that complete stillness.

5/9/2015 – Leaps of Faith.

I’m thankful for my own ability to take a leap of faith and for others who’ve done the same, shown it can be worth it, and changed the world in the process. It’s the most exciting thing you can do but is simultaneously mixed with fright, doubt, uncertainty, loneliness, fun, adrenaline, exhaustion, and excitement (did I mention that part already?).

They are a risky gamble with huge potential rewards. They are the pursuit of something beyond our grasp and our full understanding of how we’ll even possibly get there. And it’s done anyway. It’s crazy. And it’s awesome.

5/10/2015 – Anti-inflammatories.

Since I was a kid I’ve had frequent bouts with headaches. Over the years I’ve also had countless times where Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, and other anti-inflammatories have been an absolute Godsend.

5/11/2015 – The Ability to Learn.

One of the things that makes humans special is our ability to learn. Not only conditional learning (where something happens and we are conditioned to act in response to it), but to learn ideas from reading, from the experiences of others, from abstract thoughts and ideas. Our ability to learn in unstructured and indirect ways is a freaking miracle and one of our greatest blessings as a species.

5/12/2015 – Modern Medicine.

I’ve had a nagging sinus issue for most of this year and it would annoyingly come and go so I wasn’t sure if it would be getting better or not. When I finally pulled the trigger and went to the doctor, a 5 minute checkout and 5 minutes at the pharmacy had me feeling better the next day.

This happens with millions of ailments big and small every day. It’s amazing that we’re slowly conquering the amazingly-complex systems of our bodies and how quickly we are improving.

5/13/2015 – Givers.

I love all the people in the world who are givers. I’m sure you have one or two who immediately come to mind as well. They’re the people who are always there if you need something. Who does something almost absurdly thoughtful for you even if you don’t think it’s warranted or deserved. They make the world a happier place and are the givers of countless smiles. I hope you can return the favor to the givers in your life soon, even if you are a giver yourself.

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?