1. I am grateful for crushes. They make single life interesting. They help me think about the things I want to improve in my life. They give me something to daydream about.
2. I am grateful for massages. That was my birthday treat to myself (even though my birthday is tomorrow)…or one of them. I am so lucky to have worked in a spa for as long as I did. Sometimes I miss it. It was really nice, today, to experience a little piece of that and relax for a while.
3. I am grateful for 911 and ambulances and hospitals and modern medicine. I can’t imagine what life was like without all of the fabulous medical technology we now enjoy! Too bad so many people sue doctors so that everything costs so much!

So, I’m a little behind and I’m pre-dating these and going to try and remember what I was grateful for on Monday…or maybe I’ll just think of a big list of what I’m grateful for today (Wednesday, Nov. 4th) and share a few of those here.

1. I am grateful for music…all kinds. I just love it. And I don’t really understand people who don’t. Most of my best (and worst) memories have music associated with them. When I want to feel happy, I can play a song–ONE SONG–and instantly feel better. When I need to get the sad feelings out, I can do the same.
2. I am grateful that my brother and his wife and their two kiddies live just down the street from me right now. I am loving every minute of it. I love that I can help them out with babysitting and such, and that they are so generous as to always welcome me into their home. It really is a win-win!
3. I am grateful for a body that will let me go for months without exercising and then let me push it to three miles on my second day back “on the wagon.” I often find myself complaining about the fact that I am not a size 2 and I find all of these flaws with the way I look, but really, my body is amazing in the way that it will let me push it without quitting on me. And I’m healthy in the sense that I am disease and disorder free. How many people can say that?

It’s that time of year again (can you believe that it is November TOMORROW?). Time for pumpkins and gloves and long-sleeves and the November Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. Participation is completely voluntary. For those of you who have not played before, the challenge is outlined below.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

• Each day during the month of November you will send an email to me, at least, but feel free to invite others to participate and you can send your gratitude emails to them, as well. (For those of you blogging it, please leave a comment so I can follow you if I’m not already.)
• Each daily email will contain three “things” for which you are grateful.
• Definition of “things”- the term “things” is used here to encompass a lot of stuff including, but not limited to: a certain set of circumstances, an event, an inanimate object distinguished from a living being, possessions or effects, a deed or act, a product of work or activity, an idea or notion, a piece of news or information, a person, a memory, anything that makes you smile.
• The challenge is to come up with three ORIGINAL “things” each day. Try not to repeat entries.
• Your email should be sent by midnight each night (or blog post posted by that same time). If you miss a day or two, no biggie, but you have to make it up, no skipping!

NOTE: I will only be blogging these…except for to my family, who I may or may not email (I haven’t decided yet).

WARNING OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS!!
Please note that challenge participation may result in any or all of the following:
– you will be surprised at all the Lord has done for you
– angels will attend
– you will feel help and comfort
– you may find yourself singing as the days go by
– your doubts will fly

In the past years I’ve included a gratitude quote each day. I think I’ve used them all up. This year (and in future years) you can expect to see some duplication of these quotes. Sorry, kids.

“Gracias, danke, merci—whatever language is spoken, “thank you” frequently expressed will cheer your spirit, broaden your friendships, and lift your lives to a higher pathway as you journey toward perfection. There is a simplicity—even a sincerity—when “thank you” is spoken.”

“Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief.

I wrote a much longer post about this topic, but…it was really, really long. So here’s the Campbell’s Soup version.