Bloganuary Prompt #10: What are 5 things you’re grateful for today?

Compared to Prompt #9, this is easy, and especially the way I’ve lived my life the last few decades. Gratitude accompanies my morning coffee, tucks me in at night, and often pops up throughout the day. I firmly believe that gratitude is the wealth in life.

Living in the grey Northeast, SUNSHINE is on my gratitude list. It can be stinging cold like today (8 degrees F) but feeling those sunbeams pouring through the window is an immediate boost.

“We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick

My EYESIGHT. Nature is so breathtakingly beautiful, it easily overwhelms me with gratitude that I have eyes to see its beauty. The large windows in every room of my home showcase nature moment by moment, season by season. I am so very appreciative to be able to see Nature’s spectacular beauty.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

CARING FRIENDS are a staple in my life. Quality over quantity is the norm for me. But so is low maintenance. We may not communicate often but we easily pick-up where we left off. I am grateful for friendships lasting decades and new ones too — whether via the blogging world or on current issues, I treasure their insights and support.

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust

My SPIRITUAL LIFE which includes the TAO and ACOA. Growing up in a dysfunctional household, I am grateful to have always felt a protective, loving God in my life, then to have discovered ACOA and later the Tao which deepen my understanding — of myself and life itself. Guiding the day with a reading in the Tao keeps me centered and able to enjoy a chaos-free adult life.

“Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” — Roy T. Bennett

CIVILIZED SAFETY. Living in a semi-rural area is a Godsend, especially with the current climate of world events. Neighbors are neighborly. I do not have to worry about someone stealing my purse or car. Drive by shootings do not occur; our streets are clean and drug addict-free. However, this area of peaceful, easy living is changing with an influx of residents exiting other states and cities. I am grateful for what I have while I have it.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” — Epicurus

And while I know the prompt asked for 5 items of gratitude, the original ground rules indicated anything goes so I must include having relatively GOOD HEALTH. Too many friends and family of late are enduring serious health conditions — whether cancer, heart attack, anxiety, shoulder surgery, amputation, brain tumor… Without good health, not much else matters.

In the end, my gratitude list is a bundle of intangible treasures!

“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” ― Roy T. Bennett