Even during the holidays, there sure is a lot of nastiness on the Internet. So when I saw a post by Emily of The Waiting titled “50 Happy Things for 2015: Bloggers Unite in Flood of Gratitude,” I knew I wanted to join in this collective effort, if only to drown out a tiny bit of the cacophony online.
The challenge is simple, per its creator, Dawn of Tales from the Motherland: Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write down 50 things you were grateful for or that made you happy in 2015.
So, uh, you may notice my list is approximately 41 items short of the stated goal. This is because there is nothing so small that I won’t over-think it. So the 10 minutes went fast. But, I hit all the important things.
My 2015 Gratitude-Givers/Happy-Makers
1. This little starfish, who I can’t believe is almost a year old already. There’s nothing better than starting my morning with snuggles from her.
She’s my favorite.
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2. My partner in parenting: my husband. Lily is a lucky girl, and so am I.
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3. My family. They live two hours away, but I know they would drop everything at a moment’s notice if we needed their help. I know this because they have.
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4. My husband’s family. Though we’re in Montana and they’re in Illinois, they’d do the same, too.
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5. My crew/squad/besties/whatever the hip term for friends is these days. We’re scattered all over the place now, but with the help of technology, we never feel that far apart.
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6. Social media. Despite its obvious downfalls. Because SPOILER ALERT: I’m actually kind of awkward in real life. But online, my awkwardness comes off as mildly charming.
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7. Pancake. And the fact that our fwuffy bunny finally lets us pet her. Only took five years to gain her trust.
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Miss Pancake T. Bunsen
8. Blogging. As a kid, I knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I even remember checking out a book at my elementary school library that was about “how to be a writer,” because, — shocker — I was a nerd. It might not be my day job (though I still get to write and edit for that), but blogging allows me to do what I love and share it with the world. Thank you for reading!
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Now comes the part where I silently freak out that I might have left off someone or something really, really important. If that’s the case, I’M SO SORRY HOW CAN I MAKE IT UP TO YOU PLEASE DON’T HATE ME I LOVE YOU I’LL GIVE YOU A COOKIE.
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Want to join in the gratitude magic? Here’s how it works: Set a timer for 10 minutes; timing this is critical. Once you start the timer, start your list. The goal is to write 50 things that made you happy in 2015, or 50 things you feel grateful for. (Or, see if you can beat my all-time low of eight.) The idea is to not think too hard; write what comes to mind in the time allotted. When the timer’s done, stop writing. If you haven’t written 50 things, that’s OK. If you have more than 50 things and still have time, keep writing; you can’t feel too happy or too grateful! To join other bloggers from the project, head to Tales from the Motherland for complete instructions on sharing your post.
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Posted by Dawn Quyle Landau on December 23, 2015 at 12:23 am
Who needs 50 things, when you have THE cutest star fish ever? I just keep looking back at that gorgeous photo, and how can you not smile! I feel like the holidays are a little tough for me, for a whole bunch of reasons, and I am so glad that my little idea, that I thought 1-4 people might do, has truly caused such a beautiful swell of gratitude and happiness. I have loved reading each and every list; I feel so grateful to each of you who joined in. Thank you for joining!
Posted by Allison | Squirrel Thoughts on December 23, 2015 at 9:03 am
Thank YOU for spreading this wonderful idea! It really did make me swell up with happiness as I wrote my list, and I’ve loved reading others’ lists as well. Happy holidays!
Posted by jennifer on December 23, 2015 at 6:54 am
Happy-Makers! Yep, that’s what they are, whether there are eight or 50 or 400 – the number just isn’t important. So glad you shared your happiness, especially that scrumptious starfish. Reading all these lists had been the best Christmas present. Cheers to all of it, now and in the new year and always.
Posted by Allison | Squirrel Thoughts on December 23, 2015 at 9:15 am
I’ve really tried to focus on gratitude lately, and this was the perfect prompt to kick-start that! I love reading everyone’s posts, too. We have so much to be grateful for!