The ABCs of Gratitude

Give it a try!

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles created this post for World Gratitude Day …an A-Z of everything she is grateful for, which she then challenged others to have a go.

Klara Jane Holloway took up the challenge with :

Here goes — my A-Z of gratitude.

Firstly I’m grateful for AIR- clean air. There are many places in the world where clean air is not a given. I’m shocked to learn there are 200 cities that have WORSE air pollution than Beijing which is the only place I’ve encountered air pollution. So I’m grateful for the air I can breathe!

Next, B is for BRAIN. I am incredibly grateful to have a good one. Not only to have a high IQ but also the ability to learn new skills. Learning languages has been a challenge my brain has loved. I use my brain for game playing such as scrabble and Articulate! Games of chance don’t interest me at all.

I’m grateful for the COMFORT in my life — a comfortable bed, a comfortable chair, a relatively comfortable life.

I’m so incredibly grateful for my DAUGHTER. The youngest one. Without her, my life would be without meaning, without purpose, even if I were still alive.

E is for EXERCISE which is such a huge part of my life right now. Actually, it’s always been a big part of my life — not the sort of exercise you do at a gym — but the competitive sort. Swimming, tennis, squash, netball, basketball, volleyball and golf — not all at the same time. In my younger years, I played A-grade netball and volleyball but I’m not an A-grade player. I’m a pretty good all-rounder. At swimming, the medley was my favourite event.

F for FRIENDS. I’m grateful for the friends who’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. You know who you are.

I’m so grateful for my GRANDSON. I waited decades for a grandchild. Many of my friends’ grandchildren are now grown up with children of their own. I well and truly missed that boat! But my grandson was worth waiting for. He’s such a delight. He’s such a beautiful baby and I love him so much I want to eat him.

I am grateful for my general good HEALTH — not counting knees and general aging. Health is so important all throughout our lives especially as we grow older. There’s no point in living until you’re 100 if you’re not healthy.

Which leads me to INSURANCE — health insurance. Boy, am I grateful that I’ve kept my health insurance. This sojourn in the hospital would be costing me $1750 a day if I didn’t have insurance. OMG, that’s over $50,000! And the actual new knees were $15,000 each! I’ve got a lot to be grateful for.

I’m grateful that I own some beautiful JEWELLERY. It’s not really valuable but I love it. I haven’t acquired any since I’ve been single. 😉

K is for KNEES. I’m grateful for my new knees!

I’m grateful for the LUCK I’ve had in my life. I’ve been lucky enough to win a trip to NYC for the whole family in 1999 and to win $32,000 on The Chase in 2015. I’ve won lots of other competitions — and I’ve never bought a ticket!

I’m grateful for my excellent MEMORY. It’s a little different from having a good brain. My memory is better for strange, unusual facts and words, not so good for boring stuff like what I had for breakfast!

I’m grateful for NETFLIX! I’m going to cull all my DVDs. I don’t have a working DVD player so there doesn’t seem to be much point in keeping them. There’s so much interesting to watch on Netflix that I’ll never watch it all in a month of Sundays. I’m very grateful that my daughter brought her iPad in for me to watch Netflix while I’m in the hospital.

Well, I was going to have Nature for N, but went with Netflix instead so that leaves O for the OUTDOORS. I almost went outdoors yesterday but got to the front door of the hospital and could go no further. Don’t ask. I’m looking forward to being able to walk outdoors in nature even if it’s just walking around our local park. I’m probably going to have to stick to paths at the moment and build up strength and balance for rougher trails (and cobblestones).

I’m grateful I have a POOL. And it’ll soon prove its worth by helping my physiotherapy (actually called hydrotherapy when it’s in water). I love being in water -hot or cold — I’m a water baby.

Q is for QUIZ. I’m grateful we have quizzes in lots of my local pubs. It’s called trivia here but it’s the same as quizzing in the UK. I’m also grateful I’m pretty good at it. I don’t win every week but I don’t come last!

I’m grateful that I learned to READ. Many people aren’t given this opportunity. I love to read and this gives me many hours of pleasure reading stories on Medium as well as choosing a book from my burgeoning bookshelves. My books are my babies.

S is for SISTER. I only have one and she’s the best sister one could wish for. I’m so grateful to have her in my life. She has a number of health problems but always cares for everyone more than she cares for her own well-being. She never complains and when asked how she is, she always answers “good, good, good.” I wish I could be more like her.

I’m incredibly grateful for the TRAVEL I’ve been able to undertake in the past twelve years — actually just from 2010 to 2020. I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve worked hard for 42 weeks so I could have 10 weeks traveling around Europe. I’m obsessed with Europe: the cultures, the languages, the history, the architecture, the people, and the food!

U — this is really difficult. I’m grateful my youngest son lives in UAE ( United Arab Emirates) and not Ukraine.

I’m grateful I’ve had VISITORS coming to see me in the hospital.

I’m grateful that I can have a glass of WINE whenever I feel like one. Amazingly I haven’t missed wine at all this month.

I’m thankful that I won’t need any more X-RAYS on my knees.

I’m grateful for my YOUTHFUL attitude to life. I don’t think like an old woman.

I’m very happy and so thankful I’m not a ZOMBIE.

My concentration span gave out at TRAVEL — can you tell?

Here’s The Sturg’s gratitude list.

Have a go! It’s not as easy as it looks!