It's A Good Time For Gratitude

Each month I get a reminder to write down a gratitude list.

The general idea is to list 30 things I'm grateful to have happened or have. It could be anything, from a person in my life, an experience I've had, perhaps an item, or even a feeling. 

Instead of making the standard list when the notification pinged this time, I figured I could write a journal entry that expresses gratitude in a piece of prose. So that's what this blog post is. Part of the motivation for doing it this way is to score my daily writing habit while also making a "something I'm grateful" list. Got to love efficiency gains, right? 

As I mentioned at the top, it can be about anything. I'll start by saying I'm grateful for Vicki. She supports everything I attempt to achieve and celebrates everything I have with enthusiasm. Most recently, she's been an absolute star when I decided to leave an employer of nearly eight years to join a new startup. We both struggled with our work in 2021, so her support is particularly significant. It's made everything much easier knowing she has my back. Unconditionally so. 

I'm grateful for my creativity, or at least my ability to steal ideas from (i.e. be inspired by) others creativity to make something my own. I'm referring to The Little Book of Good Times, which I made for Vicki. It's a small book of vouchers for things Vicki will find helpful or likes to indulge in, e.g. getting out of a dog walk or a new pair of runners. It was a simple idea, personal to her, and will deliver right throughout the year. I suppose I should also add I'm grateful for Hank Green. 

Hank Green wrote An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and its sequel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour. In the latter, there's a MacGuffin called The Book Of Good Times, which directs characters to do certain things that keep the novel's grand plan in motion. Hank's books are fabulous. The kinds that make you go to bed early to get some extra reading in. I'm thankful for his creativity and attention to his stories.  

I'll add that I'm thankful for Hank's brother, John Green. Not just for his creative works — if you've not listened to the book/podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, stop reading this and go enjoy that ear party — but for his relationship with his brother. Having lost my brother many years ago, I've frequently wondered what our relationship would be like today. While I can only speculate, I like to think it would be similar to the brother's Green. So I'm grateful for getting to enjoy their's vicariously, at least what they share via their YouTube channel and podcasts. 

I'm thankful to my parents for spoiling me last year and getting me an in-fracking-credible electric standing corner desk. As I type this, I'm currently doing some extra calve raises as part of my ongoing physio to get back into running. The ability to go from seated to standing and back again by clicking a button is honestly a game-changer. An excellent work setup can unlock a bucket of mood-boosting enthusiasm. The standing desk has changed my life. 

I've mentioned physio which leads nicely onto my health. Specifically, I'm thankful for my physical health. While I can't run consistently yet, I have enjoyed a few recently, and it feels fantastic. Also, my physical health is in no way poor; I'm grateful that I can keep up with the dogs and still walk or cycle all my outdoor tasks with ease. I even managed to keep up with my (definitely fitter) friends Kev and Dan on a ride out to Haddington for some exercise-neutralising coffee and cake. 

I volunteer with Kev, Dan, and my friend Hazel. We do food rescue together. Well, Hazel does most of the work. The rest of us primarily act as pack horses riding around with panniers and trailers full of unsold food to give to those who can use it, saving it from the bin. I wish there wasn't so much waste food and wish there weren't any folks needing to rely on food nobody else wanted. That said, I enjoy doing food rescue a lot. It's helped me tackle feelings of loneliness throughout the year and kept me well stocked with pastries. I'm thankful for the opportunity and cannot express enough just how excellent Hazel is at the task; I'm grateful for her determination. 

One other friend I want to call out in this gratitude entry is Oli. He and I know each other from CodeBase, the startup hub and office space I once used. We didn't hang out much, but we would frequently bump into each other in the halls. I missed those chance encounters when moving to work from home, so I emailed him. Since then, we've emailed each other back and forth, with an unpredictable cadence that mimics the corridor meetings. An unexpected pandemic pen pal, and a top one at that. 

Oli and his family got themselves a cargo bike recently. While out with the dog yesterday morning, I encountered four or five families, each with cargo bikes. No doubt on their way to some daytime activity, or perhaps on their way home; whichever, they were doing so in a way which suits a city of Edinburgh's scale much better than a typical family car does. I'm thankful to everyone who chose to transition away from a car this past year, and may the trend continue!

So there you have it, a few things I'm grateful for from this past year. It's not a list of 30, but an enjoyable reflective exercise nonetheless. I think I'll want to do a post like this again sometime. Usually, I make a gratitude list every month, but that feels too frequent for the blog, so perhaps one every quarter or six months would be better? We'll see. 

If you've enjoyed this, perhaps you'd like to do a similar exercise for yourself? What have you been grateful for this past year? Then, as a bonus, share your gratitude with others, ask them to do the same or if you've recalled something they did which you appreciate, share it with them. A thank you, no matter how late or unexpected, can make someone's day. 

Oh, one last one, thanks to you for reading.