108 Things I’m Grateful For – 2011

Several years ago, Rev Guy Williams challenged me and other in a class he gave to count out 100 reasons we were grateful every single day for a week. At first it seemed impossible, but as I became able to count more and more ways I was grateful I began to lose track. Eventually I realized I had a lovely set of Mala beads of Lapis lazuli – the longer string with 108 beads. I began to use them to count off  “my gratitudes.”

I don’t remember the first Thanksgiving Day I actually listed 108 things I’m grateful for on the web, but it’s become a tradition of mine.

If you actually read the list you’ll discover big things, little things and lots of people. Being willing to list all sorts of things is the key to a gratitude list. Cathy Miller is a writing buddy of mine and when I listed her and looked up her website low and behold she’s got 50 Thanksgiving Gifts I Am Grateful For.

I know we’re onto something here – if you want to join us with your own list of 3 things or 5 things or 10 or any other number you choose, please do so, and if it’s on your own blog, post the link here and I’ll gather them up. Or you can just make your list in comments here, or over at Cathy’s place.

1. That I make my living writing
2. That I work for myself
3. My three kids, Linda, Mike and Steve
4. My daughters-in-law, Stacey and Gloria
5. My daughter’s husband, Chris
6. Their families and that I get to play with them.
7. My four grand kids, Emily, Ben, Valerie and Ben
8. Cait
9. Carol
10. Lori Widmer – my partner in About Writing Squared and the 5 Buck Forum
11. Lauri S. Friedman – part of my Mastermind Group
12. Helen Chang – part of my Mastermind Group
13. Martin
14. MzTiz
15. SuzzieQ (the outdoor cat I’ve adopted.)
16. John (who took care of Suzzie Q until he couldn’t any more
17. The Open Heart Sangha
18. Deerpark Monastery 
19. Thich Nhat Hanh
20. Zen
21. Meditation and that I’ve been taught how to do it
22. The house I live in
23. My office view of the canyon
24. The deck overlooking the canyon
25. The canyon
26. The pair of hawks
27. The crows
28. The hummingbirds.
29. The other small birds that hang out nearby
30. Daddy Long Legged spiders
31. Box spiders
32. Thom Hartmann
33. President Barack Obama
34. Awakening the Dreamer which restored me to hope
35. Rule and Gabby who taught me to facilitate Awakening the Dreamer Symposiums
36. Jimmy L. whose going to help me introduce Awakening the Dreamer into the community of City Heights where I live in San Diego
37. The Pachamama Alliance which developed the Awakening The Dreamer Symposiums
38. Van Jones
39. Rev. Guy Williams
40. Rev. Kathy Hearn
41. Sweetwater Zen Center
42. WorldBeat Cultural Center
43. Elizabeth Woolrych, potter at Studio 6 in Spanish Village
44. Balboa Park
45. The internet and my connection to it
46. my computer
47. electricity
48. clean water
49. natural gas
50. my car
51. the roads that are maintained for me
52. the members of the 5 Buck Forum
53. John Soares
54. Jenn Mattern
55. Deb Ng
56. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!
57. Fig tree
58. home grown tomatoes
59. Ellie Winslow
60. the library
61. Sarah
62. good coffee
63. good tea
64. Becky
65. John
66. Stephanie
67. Sheri
68. Jerrilynn
69. Craig
70. Activist San Diego
71. Occupy San Diego
72. Occupy Writers
73. Occupy Wall  Street
74. Twitter 
75. Tweetdeck
76. butterflies
77. lady bugs
78. roses
79. succulents
80. lavender
81. Jayde
82. Alex
83. Josh
84. composting
85. basal
86. pepper plants
87. rosemary
88. cosmos
89. City Farmers Nursery
90. Cathy Miller
91. Craigslist
92. telephones
93. cell phones (I think I’m more grateful than not)
94. Thanksgiving Gathering: Indigenous People Gather Annually on Alcatraz
95. Heifer.org – give gifts that really mean something
96. Kiva.org – you can make micro loans too
97. Living Compassion – a great charity to contribute to
98. Ganish
99. Controversial Bookstore
100. National Public Radio
101. American Public Radio
102. Leo LaPorte, the Tech Guy
103. My iPad
104. Tom and Ray, the Car Guys on Car Talk
105. Jonathan Fields
106. Guy Kawasaki
107. On the Media – an important radio show
108. On Being – an amazing radio show

Image:  Some rights reserved by Shayan (USA)