Ten Gifts

There’s a lovely little book, now a website, now a daily blog that came from a woman who lives on a farm and she needed to find joy in the mundane. She began writing down the usual/normal/ordinary things that made her happy, and she made a list all the way to 1000. What it did was change her perspective on life. She learned that we don’t need the fancy stuff. It’s not the unusual/expensive/unique that is necessary to knock us awake and alive. We can redefine our usual into extraordinary — if we keep our eyes open to the perks and highlights in the routine.

I’m not yet to 1000, but I have 10 this morning.

1. Drinking from my perfect coffee cup. Perfect size, perfect handle, and it says ‘DREAM; in perfect torquoise on the front.
2. Yoga class at 7am
3. Good coffee in that perfect coffee cup (see #1)
4. Great colleagues – read some emails this morning from these amazing humans who are good people with big hearts and who work hard
5. The battle over snack foods I fight daily with my son
6. New glasses I purchased over the holidays – they are so light, I love them
7. A fast internet connection
8. The terrazzo floors in my home – they are pure 60s design and fully Florida. We didn’t know what was under the carpet when we bought the house and we won the floor lottery
9. My husband who sleeps in the bedroom beside this office
10. My son who will be awake and wander out sleepy-eyed in about 2.5 minutes (same time every morning no matter when he goes to bed)

Scientists have now proven that gratitude changes our brains.

I believe it pulls us from our inward rumination to an outward embrace of the world. It allows us to wake up to the joys, gifts and beauty that surround us. All we need to do is open our eyes to see it.

Today…make your list. Don’t stop at 10. Keep looking. Come alive.