I haven’t had a great week. I’m sick, worn out, and am just feeling bad. Bad things are happening.
Tonight, I took the dog for a walk, and as my sweet Penny was playing with a neighbor puppy when one of my most prized possessions, a special set of mala beads from my friends at Tiny Devotions, snapped. Beads flew everywhere.
It was the last straw. I freaked out.. Is this a bad omen? Are there worse things to come?
It’s times like these that it’s important to remember all the things that are good about life. So I’m making a list.. 108 things that I’m grateful for (in honor of my mala with it’s 108 auspicious beads). Alternatively, this could be a list of a few of my favorite things and what makes me feel alive.
My Gratitude List
1. My family
2. My friends
3. My furry friends
4. My home
5. My health
6. My yoga practice
7. The sunshine
8. Air conditioning
9. Plenty of food to eat
10. The beach
11. The ocean
12. My beach umbrella
13. Fluffy little clouds
14. Rainbows
15. Unicorns (I just like the idea of them.)
16. Ahhhhh-vocado
17. Blueberries
18. Watermelon
19. My nieces and nephews
20. My online community
21. The sweetest and most supportive husband in the world
22. My job
23. My creative outlets
24. This blog
25. My education
26. The many opportunities I’ve been given
27. My mentors
28. My teachers
29. Challenges that help me grow
30. That feeling right after a great yoga class
31. That adjustment… you know the one.. in Down Dog
32. My breath
33. Snuggling with furry friends
34. Making new furry friends at the park
35. Watching furry friends frolic
36. Frolicking
37. Cupcakes
38. Ice cream
39. Popsicles
40. Sweet tea
41. Porch swings
42. Wooden rocking chairs
43. The fact that I live somewhere that I might actually be able to own a house with a porch someday
44. The fact that I live in a nation that let’s me choose where I live
45. My eye sight
46. Hearing
47. Taste buds
48. Flower buds
49. Music
50. Laughter
51. Bright colors
52. Cool breezes
53. Soft bedding
54. Feet that connect me to the earth
55. Technology that connects me to the world
56. A brain that allows me to understand and connect with others
57. The ability to communicate
58. A washer and dryer in my home!
59. My dishwasher
60. Running water
61. Flushing toilets
62. Litter boxes
63. Clean drinking water
64. Clothes on my back
65. Clothes that make me feel fabulous
66. Shoes… I love shoes.
67. Being bare foot
68. Swimming
69. Tire swings
70. Good memories
71. Funny stories
72. Inside jokes
73. Peace and quiet
74. A good night’s sleep
75. Hammocks
76. Savasana
77. Child’s Pose
78. Poses I hate (that make me appreciate the ones I like that much more!)
79. Arm balances
80. Inversions
81. Good books
82. Fancy cheese
83. Kale chips
84. Cat naps
85. Down Dogs
86. Coffee. Mmmm.. Coffee
87. Chocolate croissants
88. Learning new things
89. Holidays with family
90. Christmas ornaments
91. Dangly earrings
92. Fun printed fabrics
93. Handbags
94. Pictures on the walls
95. My magazine collection
96. Walks in the park
97. Moonlight
98. Candle light
99. Being silly
100. Making people laugh
101. Helping people
102. Sharing yoga with people
103. Finding creative solutions to problems
104. Watching things grow
105. Playing in the sand, dirt, and water
106. Epiphanies
107. Looking on the bright side
108. Seeing beauty everywhere
Do you count your blessings? What would you add to the list?
Featured image by Bryan Pocius
thank you so much! A gratitude list is always a great way to put things in perspective! Namaste~Lisa
I know one that springs to mind for MY list after reading this…"positive people". Thank you so much for this. Blessings~Marlynn
We believers think sometimes we do not get blessings from God, but actually we have already got all.Thank alot.
i love this post! totally agree that you have 108 very worthy things to be grateful for (plus a ton more i'm sure). 🙂 definitely a blessing and a beautiful break thru! hugs & namaste!!
Awesome handbags and having the day off with my hubs & pug 🙂
Love you!
My teacher, Priti Robyn Ross, told me that when you lose or break your mala beads it is truly auspicious – a letting go of one phase and a moving onto the next! It's all good!! =)
my hubby
family
friends
yoga practice
my mentors
my fellow yogi bloggers
Thank you for sharing what are the most blessing items to your life. Most of them are quite the same with my list…. namaste
Thank you for the reminder to be grateful, sometimes in the thick of life challenges its easy enough to forget that we have so much.
my body. i am overwhelmed with gratitude for its strength after watching my body heal since an operation last week. we are truly incredible creatures. never take health for granted.
Wow, I'm not sure I could come up with so many things to be grateful for. It's always just the simple things that we can most appreciate though. Thanks for your post.
My gratitude list, after a few days that seemed to be filled with tragedy http://barelynoticeable.com/2011/07/04/in-the-face-of-tragedy-gratitude/
getting a massage
giving a massage
my son's laughter
my son making me laugh 🙂
the inbreath and the outbreath
that feeling you get when it occurs to you everything is in its right order, it's me who has to get into the groove, not It 🙂
giving love
feeling love
feeling warmness towards everyone! not just when they "act right" 🙂
my gratitude list have also this
my daughter's laugher
my daughter making me laugh
getting a massage
feeling love
jacuzzi
nutella
simona from italy
salame
coca cola
Well, I definitely feel better about my mala breaking now.. I hope it WAS a break through! Thanks to all of you for posting your gratitude lists as well!
Love it! I need to do this:) (And I need some new mala beads…I gave my favorite ones away…)
My malas are all hand-knbotted, there is a knot in between each bead! PLEASE contact me through: http://www.jenstock.com
Love this list! The most important blessing to me is God and his son, Jesus. I really like all of the others too – that I’ve tried; some I haven’t.
Thank you Erica, for your blessings and gratitude’s list. I got up in the middle of the night to start my personal list and I searched for something to get me started, and your list was perfect. Thank you for the thoughtful effort you put into preparing it, and especially thank you for posting it for me to find. So much appreciated. Bless you, Steve