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.
- My wife
- My daughter
- My family
- The way I feel when my daughter says Daddy
- My nieces
- My health
- My friends
- The way I feel when my nieces say “Uncle Chris”
- My job
- My Home
- My colleagues
- My boss
- My daughter’s laugh
- My mother’s love
- My father’s guidance
- My brother’s friendship
- My sister in law’s friendship
- My daughters eyes, hands, feet and belly…oh man, that belly.
- The way my wife looks at me
- My parent’s health
- Mobster Movies
- Friends that truly “know me”
- Music
- 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
- When my daughter dances
- Showering outside (in the summer of course )
- Beaches (the real thing, not the movie)
- Christmas time
- Smiling at a stranger on the subway and getting a smile back
- Being in the room when my grandfather passed. It was a profound moment.
- My ability to communicate
- The way I feel after I work out
- My free will
- My mind
- My body
- My intellect
- My emotional quotient
- YOU
- Any movie with Chris Farley in it
- The feeling of jumping into a cold pool on a hot summer day
- Random acts of kindness
- Polite people
- People who smile often
- Did I mention my daughter’s belly?
- My experiences while studying abroad in Belgium, and my year in London
- My love of travel
- My love of learning
- The sound of a G chord on a well tuned acoustic guitar
- The feeling of calluses on my hands
- Yoga
- Meditation
- A deep long breath
- A deep long kiss
- The way my wife’s hair smells
- The way my daughters hug feels
- That overall, I’ve listened to and considered deeply all of my parents advice
- The way my daughter sleeps with her butt up in the air
- The time I had with my grandparents
- My in-laws (seriously, they’re pretty incredible people)
- Coffee
- Bare feet on a carpet
- Democracy
- Guns N Roses (circa 1988)
- ipods
- Books
- My legs (ever see someone in a wheelchair do anything?)
- My parents tutelage, time and attention throughout my life
- My hometown Mahopac, New York
- The town I now live in Chappaqua, New York
- Being Italian/American
- Wine (preferably red)
- Scotch (single malt, preferably Oban)
- New York/The New York Yankees
- My passion
- Being man enough to tell those I love how much I love them – as often as I possibly can
- My experiences as a bachelor (the grass is never greener for me as a married man)
- My experiences with drugs (I came out the other end alive (barely), and with new perspective on what’s important in my life)
- My luck
- My college days
- When my wife calls me “Babe”
- The time I spent alone with my grandfather when I was a little boy
- The time my mother and father took to explain to my brother and I why that time with my grandfather would be so invaluable
- Electric guitars with tons and TONS of distortion
- Black Lamborghini’s and Harley Davidsons- they do something to my insides
- Latina women – even though my wife isn’t one…(they do something to my insides too) see #76 and #1
- Female singer song writers
- The Metro North conductors that smile
- My childhood
- My hair (I was convinced I’d be bald by the time I hit 30) – I can deal with a bald spot
- My ability to make (some) people laugh
- My good sense to learn by observing how my brother conducts himself
- My coaches – even though some still haunt me, they taught me so much about myself
- My teachers – some stand out, but all were phenomenal
- Being able to hold my dog Chelsea as she was put down.
- My father for teaching me how to be a man
- My ability to stop and smell the roses
- 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.
- Being able to close my eyes and feel my grandfathers touch, hear his voice, and know he’s with me
- My ability to forgive
- My faith