The Top 10 Things to be Grateful For Each and Every Day

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The Top 10 Things to be Grateful For Each and Every Day - ByDennis R. Tesdell ***----------------------------------------------------This list seems very basic. Yet not everyone in this country or in theworld has, or will be able to be grateful for, all of these things. Intheir life some of these things do not exist nöw, nor have they everexisted. Thanksgiving Holiday is more than turkey, Grandma's pumpkin pie,half-price säles and sports events. This list is one which, hopefully,everyone reading it can say applies to them. However simple it may seem,it is humbling and sad to realize that many in our country and even morein other countries, only have 1-2 things on this list each day, while mostif not all of us have all ten! Perhaps if we are thankful for these basicthings daily, it will help ourselves and

others gain more abundance, or atleast we will appreciate our own more.1. Waking Up Alive. Burns once said a great day for him was waking up and not seeingcandles, a church, and his friends all dressed in black. He was blessedfinancially and health wise. Many, in this country and in other countries,are lucky to make it to age 10, let alone 100.2. Decent Air to Breathe.While everyone has this, in some places in the world, the air is sopolluted and foul smelling, the people die of respiratory ailments justfrom breathing.3. A New Day to Learn and to Earn a Livelihood.Most of us live in areas with very low un-employment rates. If we chooseand need to work and have a job, we can earn monëy daily or weekly*somehow*. Others are in school or educational environments. They canlearn or increase what they already know. Many people have no jobs andwill nevër have a chance to learn a basic

education.4. A Home In Which to Eat, Sleep, Live, and Relax.We are blessed if we are not one of the millïons of people whose homeconsists of a car, an abandoned house or building, cardboard or tinconstructed "shelters," or the bare earth or grass. Think about picturesyou may have seen of the homeless when you complain about your home orapartment being too cold or warm, or the utility bill being too high.5. Ample Clean Food to Eat and the Option to Buy as Much as We Need. Most of us nevër have experienced waiting in line 2-6 hours to buy a loafof bread, some flour, eggs, etc. We don't know what it is like to wait fora truck to pull up and hand out boxes or containers of rice or Red Crossrations. We've nevër dug in dumpsters behind a grocery store or restaurantto get the food that was thrown out to have for our daily meal. Food isexpensive for many. At least in the U.S. we have no lack of it and it isnot

rationed out to us or sold at black market prices.6. Friends, Family and Pets.Most all of us have one or more of these three things in our life. In someparts of the country and the world, people are alone--young children arealone. And the "pet" may have to end up feeding a family or a group ofpeople due to lack of any other food supply. We spend more monëy on thefood and vet bills for our pets than many people in poor countries MAKE inincome in 1-3 years!7. Living in a Democratic Society.Not talking or pushing politics. But we are frëe to pretty much do and saywhat we wish as covered by the Bill of Rights. And we don't have tanks andarmed soldiers walking the streets 24 hours a day looking for looters,guerillas and terrorists. Life and the government isn't at all perfectherë. But it sure beats anything else I have seen or read about in mylifetïme.8. Abundant Natural Resources.Yes we need to clean

up our water and air, and plant more trees, etc.But we *do* have in our towns, water and sewage control that are sanitaryto use and maintained. Our air quality varies from town to town, and onaverage is much better than in many other countries in the world. We alsohave ample supplies of electricity, gas, and other resources we need tolive and thrive personally and industrially.9. Clothing to Protect Us from the Elements and to Even Enhance OurAppearance.True, there are places in the U.S. where people in poverty lack adequateclothing. Compared to our population, however, the majority of us haveadequate clothes, and many of us have clothing that is both functional andattractive as well.10. The Gift of Choice.This is something everyone has no matter where they live. Even if theylive in a poor non-democratic society, we all have the choice to makedecisions, to act, and to be however we wish, as adults at

least. This wasgiven to us at birth and is nevër taken away, but is often taken forgranted, ignored, or not fully developed or used.About the Author:Dennis R. Tesdell is an experienced personal development and self-carecoach as well as an author on personal growth, self-care and selfimprovement issues.