Friday Finds: 5 Great Reasons to be Grateful

It’s Friday, so I am linking up with Courtney at Eat, Pray, Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for their weekly linkup. Each Friday, they host a link up — a “Friday Five.” Apropos of something, this week they have picked “Thanksgiving.” If you come around here much, you know I am a big fan of the power of gratitude in living a happy life. I have mentioned it in over 100 posts according to my handy WordPress stats. I could spend all day writing about things I am grateful for, but no one has time for that, so I will try to hit it with a broad brush.

5 Great Reasons to be Grateful

1. The Husband. I was never a little girl who dreamed about what her life would be like and certainly not about a fairy tale wedding or marriage. Not to say that my life or marriage is a fairy tale by any means, but it is very full, pretty amazing and beyond any of the wildest dreams I could have had growing up. The Husband and I have made so many friends and traveled around the world. We both have the opportunity to pursue our personal passions and do interesting work. We still make each other laugh every day.

2. Our friends. The Husband and I have wonderful friends from all corners of our lives. When we moved to Chicago 9 years ago, we never could have imagined the awesome people we would meet running, working, car racing and just living here in Chicago. We add those to our great friends from growing up, college, grad school and work. In the last few years, I’ve made so many awesome blogger friends (a/k/a “blends”), as well. I am beyond grateful for friends old and new, young and old, near and far. Each and every friend we have adds something special to our lives. I am not even going to try to make a collage of a representative sampling of friends. You know who you are… picture yourself above this paragraph!

3. Our family. My mom, in-laws, brothers, sister-in-laws, brother-in-law, nieces and nephew may not always “get” why I run and our wacky lifestyle but they always support and love us just the same. We are very lucky. I may not speak to or see our families as often as I should, but I am grateful for their love and support.

4. My health and ability to run. If you have been around here a while, you may remember that I had a health scare a few years ago. It was really not that big of a deal, but it could have been. I also had several years of running injuries that finally got better. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every step I can run. This helps me to have fun with it and keep on smiling, even when it is hard.

5. You! This blog has brought me so much unexpected happiness. When I started it four years ago, I had no idea that anyone would read it much less that I would have the opportunity to meet so many great people, try so many awesome products and experiences and work with many awesome companies. Thank you all for stopping by, for your comments and suggestions. I am truly grateful for you.

And, speaking of gratitude, I really liked this post on zenhabits “Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy.“ I especially like the prayer of gratitude that he ends with.

Wishing you all happiness and gratitude in this week of Thanksgiving!

PS.  Speaking of gratitude, don’t miss the Thankful for my Followers blog hop giveaway!