100 Things I’m Grateful For

As the short work week winds down, and we begin to prepare for the festivities for Thanksgiving, I thought it might be interesting to take a step back to reflect upon the true essence of what Thanksgiving is all about.  I got to thinking about how lucky I am, and about all of the people, and things I’m grateful for in my life.  Here’s my list of 100 things I’m grateful for – I encourage you to do the same. You’ll be shocked how many good things there are in your life. Use this as a tool to help to keep you on track when you feel like things aren’t going your way, or when you feel like there’s nothing in life to be grateful for.  Add to the list as you go.  I started this list as the 50 things that I’m grateful for and I couldn’t stop.  I’m truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

1. My wife
2. My daughter
3. My family
4. The way I feel when my daughter says Daddy
5. My nieces
6. My health
7. My friends
8. The way I feel when my nieces say “Uncle Chris”
9. My job
10. My Home
11. My colleagues
12. My boss
13. My daughter’s laugh
14. My mother’s love
15. My father’s guidance
16. My brother’s friendship
17. My sister in law’s friendship
18. My daughters eyes, hands, feet and belly…oh man, that belly.
19. The way my wife looks at me
20. My parent’s health
21. Mobster Movies
22. Friends that truly “know me”
23. Music
24. 80’s Metal (this is separate from “Music” because this particular type of music does something to me that no other music can)…ask anyone that knows me well enough to have a bad memory of me playing air guitar
25. When my daughter dances
26. Showering outside (in the summer of course )
27. Beaches (the real thing, not the movie)
28. Christmas time
29. Smiling at a stranger on the subway and getting a smile back
30. Being in the room when my grandfather passed. It was a profound moment.
31. My ability to communicate
32. The way I feel after I work out
33. My free will
34. My mind
35. My body
36. My intellect
37. My emotional quotient
38. YOU
39. Any movie with Chris Farley in it
40. The feeling of jumping into a cold pool on a hot summer day
41. Random acts of kindness
42. Polite people
43. People who smile often
44. Did I mention my daughter’s belly?
45. My experiences while studying abroad in Belgium, and my year in London
46. My love of travel
47. My love of learning
48. The sound of a G chord on a well tuned acoustic guitar
49. The feeling of calluses on my hands
50. Yoga
51. Meditation
52. A deep long breath
53. A deep long kiss
54. The way my wife’s hair smells
55. The way my daughters hug feels
56. That overall, I’ve listened to and considered deeply all of my parents advice
57. The way my daughter sleeps with her butt up in the air
58. The time I had with my grandparents
59. My in-laws (seriously, they’re pretty incredible people)
60. Coffee
61. Bare feet on a carpet
62. Democracy
63. Guns N Roses (circa 1988)
64. ipods
65. Books
66. My legs (ever see someone in a wheelchair do anything?)
67. My parents tutelage, time and attention throughout my life
68. My hometown Mahopac, New York
69. The town I now live in Chappaqua, New York
70. Being Italian/American
71. Wine (preferably red)
72. Scotch (single malt, preferably Oban)
73. New York/The New York Yankees
74. My passion
75. Being man enough to tell those I love how much I love them – as often as I possibly can
76. My experiences as a bachelor (the grass is never greener for me as a married man)
77. My experiences with drugs (I came out the other end alive (barely), and with new perspective on what’s important in my life)
78. My luck
79. My college days
80. When my wife calls me “Babe”
81. The time I spent alone with my grandfather when I was a little boy
82. The time my mother and father took to explain to my brother and I why that time with my grandfather would be so invaluable
83. Electric guitars with tons and TONS of distortion
84. Black Lamborghini’s and Harley Davidsons- they do something to my insides
85. Latina women – even though my wife isn’t one…(they do something to my insides too) see #76 and #1
86. Female singer song writers
87. The Metro North conductors that smile
88. My childhood
89. My hair (I was convinced I’d be bald by the time I hit 30) – I can deal with a bald spot
90. My ability to make (some) people laugh
91. My good sense to learn by observing how my brother conducts himself
92. My coaches – even though some still haunt me, they taught me so much about myself
93. My teachers – some stand out, but all were phenomenal
94. Being able to hold my dog Chelsea as she was put down.
95. My father for teaching me how to be a man
96. My ability to stop and smell the roses
97. My temper. It’s challenged me my whole life, and forced me to be obsessively introspective, and acutely present at all times, lest it beat me.
98. Being able to close my eyes and feel my grandfathers touch, hear his voice, and know he’s with me
99. My ability to forgive
100. My faith