According to brain scientists whenever we express gratitude two “feel good” chemicals are released in abundance into the inner workings of our brains: dopamine and serotonin. The link between our well-being and gratefulness, then, is undoubtable. Think back on your happiest moments. Ask yourself if this happiness was due to every area of your life being in a cosmic, unspeakable union? Or, did the peace you felt radiate from a place of thankfulness, regardless of the circumstance?
After this, you may be surprised to discover that authentic joy isn’t something to be found, but is something to be realized. No matter what season of life are in.
Below are 99 things to be grateful for.
- A good night’s sleep
- Home cooked meals
- The body’s ability to heal itself
- The empathy of a stranger
- Sunlight
- Laughing so hard you hardly make a sound
- Medical workers
- The moon – a reminder that we are valuable in every phase of life.
- A warm bed – with optimal pillows
- Finding a new favorite song
- The return of live music
- Clean water to drink
- Forgiveness
- Friends you’ve had across every era of your life
- New friends you met last week
- Watching your city appear from the window seat of an airplane
- Movie theaters and free refills
- The playlist your best friend made you
- Public libraries
- A cloud’s silver lining
- The Internet
- Video chatting devices for friends across the country
- Community
- Venmo
- An Uber driver’s kindness
- Writing in the margins of a good book
- Teachers who adapted to our new normal
- A 20% tip at the end of a shift
- Candles that smell like home
- Your car, and all the open roads ahead of you
- Reliable public transportation
- Sunsets
- Local art museums
- Thrift stores
- A warm coat
- Photo albums
- Saturday football – all day long
- The slow change of Summer into Fall
- The sweater you’ve had for years
- Your neighbor’s Christmas lights
- Perfectly fitting jeans
- Getting to stay out past 10
- Dance classes
- The smell of a bonfire
- Digging sand from your toes on a day at the beach
- A reliable babysitter
- The first breath of uncongested air after a cold
- Leftovers for dinner
- The ability to change your opinion
- The first snowfall of the year
- Finishing college applications
- Graduation ceremonies
- Grandparent’s stories around the dinner table
- The freedom to vote
- Road trips up north
- Time to take the long way home
- Streaming services
- A first date
- A second date
- Hot showers
- Earth’s natural beauty
- The symphony of morning birds
- Shoulders to lean on
- Feeling truly forgiven
- Soft bedsheets
- Adult braces
- The sound of a violin
- Sacrifices
- Poetry books
- Documentaries to step into the past
- Your team making the playoffs
- Headache medicine
- Inside jokes only your friends understand
- The ability to plan ahead
- Coffee on Monday mornings
- Podcasts
- The COVID-19 Vaccines
- The therapist that showed another way for you to take
- Crickets on a summer’s night
- Wildflowers
- Classic novels that never get old
- A fresh pair of running shoes
- Meditation Apps
- The brain’s ability to save your favorite memory
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- A stable income
- Our pets for keeping us company
- Brunch
- Birthday parties
- Finding the remote within five minutes
- A clean mask (worn above the nose, of course)
- Journals
- Weekends with nothing to do
- The stranger who returned your wallet
- Possibilities that lie in the future
- The job you didn’t get
- Nailing a new recipe
- The first spring day above 30 degrees
- In the midst of uncertainty, the uniquely human ability to have hope to carry on.
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