The practice of gratitude is one of the most powerful medicines available to us. Practicing gratitude every day allows you to heal and find hope. It empowers you to find meaning in life even when nothing feels right anymore.
You know what I’m grateful for today? The fact that I AM in a position to practice gratitude – I appreciate that many people facing tragedies and challenging situations may find this particularly difficult to do.
Whatever you’re facing right now, today, I encourage you to sit back, pause, and be gentle with yourself before asking, ‘What am I grateful for today?” It could be something as simple as the blue skies or the chirping of a bird outside.
My partner and I have recently started sharing five new things we are grateful for with each other every evening. For my blog this week, I have decided to share with you the 21 things I am grateful for today – I hope it inspires you to start practicing gratitude every day.
21 Things I AM Grateful for Today
1. No Power Outages
Non-South Africans may wonder why I am grateful for no power outages so let me explain. South Africa can experience anything up to 8 hours of no power in one day and even more if there’s a breakdown in a local area.
Recently, we moved to a farm that virtually runs off solar power which means we get electricity 24/7. I AM extremely grateful for this amazing gift that allows me to keep my fridge running, keeps the lights on, and lets me get on with my online work uninterrupted.
2. A Beautiful View
Living in a city often means forgoing beautiful views unless you’re fortunate enough to live on a hill with breathtaking scenery or have a gorgeous garden to enjoy. While our previous home was on a kopje and we could watch the sunrise over a tree-filled suburb, I am grateful for the beautiful view I see every day now.
Our new home looks over cow paddocks and grasslands and on a clear day, I can see hills in the far distance. I AM grateful for the healing power of this expansive view that opens my eyes to so much beauty.
3. My White Cane
Losing my eyesight because of retinitis pigmentosa isn’t something I bargained for but the Higher Power has other plans for me! It took courage, loving support from a friend and my partner, and excellent training from SA Guide Dogs to help me “see” again with a white cane.
My white cane is now my BFF and I AM so grateful it allows me to walk freely today and every other day without having to rely on someone to guide me.
4. My Vocation
For many years I worked in the environmental education sector and found my job mostly satisfying. However, in the past ten years, I realized I had a deeper calling which resulted me in pursuing my vocation.
Today, I am grateful for my successful life coaching business and for the wonderful clients I work with worldwide. Offering my services as a transformational life coach allows me to empower others to become better versions of themselves.
5. My Partner
I am truly blessed to have found love the third time around! Every day, I wake up next to a person who inspires me with his determination to conquer life's challenges without losing his soul to the world. Paul demonstrates what it means to be in a loving relationship with someone you can trust to have your back without trying to change who I am.
I am grateful today and every single day for my partner, Paul who continues to motivate me to be a better person and to live a life that’s true to my SELF.
6. My Daughter
Every single day I get to wake up knowing that I have an amazing, loving, courageous, and beautiful daughter. Today, I AM grateful for her love and her support in all ways, always. I am truly thankful that she’s handling my Instagram marketing despite managing her busy digital nomad lifestyle.
Thank you for inspiring me with your fascinating travel and food vlogs – who would have thought I would learn so much about the world from my daughter? Ashton, I AM so grateful for the day you came into my life❤️
7. Our Rescue Dog
Wilson aka Squinkie came into our lives when we decided it was time to adopt a rescue dog. He stole our hearts from day one despite it taking him a long time to warm towards us! I AM grateful for Wilson today because he shows us so much unconditional love, joy, and happiness.
He reminds me how to live in the moment today and makes me laugh when I have to run (gallop!) around the lawn with him, especially when he decides to leopard crawl! What joy!
8. My Friends
I am grateful for the inspirational messages or simple hellos I have received from friends today. Knowing that I have special people out there who care for me (and whom I love dearly) makes my life abundant in more ways than one.
I am truly thankful for my shaman tribe too who are a unique band of friends that get me without having to ask any questions. We support each other with love and a good dose of energetic healing!
9. My Shaman Teacher
I met Lionel Berman ten years ago and every day I AM grateful for his presence in my life. His daily inspirational quotes, monthly shaman workshops, and private healing sessions keep me going on good and bad days.
Today, I AM grateful for meeting this phenomenal teacher and for his ongoing wisdom and guidance that allows me to grow and connect mind, body, and soul.
10. A Beautiful Summer’s Day
Today, I AM grateful for the glorious weather – it’s a warm 28⁰C which I LOVE and there’s promise of some rain this evening, keeping our groundwater tables nicely full. I am grateful that I live in a country where our winters are relatively mild compared to other countries that plunge to below-minus temperatures. I would never cope!
As I sit here writing this gratitude list, I look out to my beautiful view which includes blue skies, with the occasional cloud drifting by and ample sunshine. How lucky can one get?
11. My Vegetable Patch
For years I haven’t been able to grow vegetables and herbs but our new home allows me to have my own vegetable patch. I AM grateful for the tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, radishes, beetroot, peppadews, basil, coriander, parsley, lavender, and rosemary thriving despite pesky critters who sometimes annihilate whole plants overnight!
Every day I get to spend time in my vegetable patch, enjoying the sun on my body and the peace that comes with working with plants and the soil. I am truly blessed.
12. WiFi Connection
I would not be able to run my life coaching business or online Free Spirit Store without a decent WiFi connection. I AM grateful today and every other day for the WiFi connectivity that allows me to connect with my clients anywhere in the world.
It lets me stay in contact with my daughter no matter where she is (right now she and her partner are exploring Vietnam!) I know I’m privileged to have access to a 24/7 WiFi connection and for that, I am extremely grateful.
13. My Family
Every day, I give thanks to the family in my life – my brothers and their families, my sister and her boys, my mother, my favorite uncle R, and my “in-laws.” I am grateful they’re in my life even if we don’t always see eye to eye or live far away from each other.
I am thankful for my sister supporting my online clothing range and for my younger brother who keeps on keeping on. Practicing gratitude allows me to be mindful of my family and their journeys through life.
14. My Higher Power
Today, I am grateful for my Higher Power’s love, protection, and guidance. It wasn’t always this way but as I grew spiritually, I became aware of the incredible power that comes from connecting with a Higher Power.
I AM grateful that I’m not alone today or any other day, knowing that I’m surrounded by this awe-inspiring love. It allows me to be ONE with the world around me.
15. My Simple Life
The past two years have forced me to slow down and simplify my life. We downscaled to a smaller home, decluttered years of stuff that no longer served us, and shifted thoughts that no longer needed to exist in my head!
I am grateful today for the opportunity to live a simpler life surrounded by Mother Nature. I no longer feel the need to join the rat race for my survival – all I need is right here.
16. For the Healing That Has Begun
Recent life experiences have caused my body to rebel a bit! While this has been challenging, I AM grateful today that I have a good homeopath on my side and I know that the healing has begun. Today, I give thanks for:
The healthy food that supports my healing journey.
Mother Nature’s beauty surrounds me and heals me, slowly but surely.
Lionel’s healing circle as he weaves healing shamanic magic!
The opportunity to walk every morning in such beautiful surroundings as the sun rises.
I AM grateful for every cell in my body as it responds to the healing that has begun – thank you, thank you, thank you!
17. My Comfortable Home
I AM grateful today for my comfortable home – I have a roof over my head, electricity, water, a beautiful garden, and I am surrounded by so many magnificent trees. My home is a tiny cottage on a farm and I AM grateful that I don’t have to spend hours cleaning it!
I am grateful for the peace and harmony my cottage affords me and as I sit writing this list of gratitude, I realize, once again, just how fortunate I am to live here.
18. My Freelancing Copywriting Work
I get to write most days when I am not coaching clients – writing is another one of my passions and being paid to do it is a cherry on the top. The copywriting industry has taken a bit of a knock but my company ensures I still have clients to write for now and then.
Today, I am grateful I could write about outdoor blinds, skylights, and solar roof ventilation! Not only do I learn something new whenever I do copywriting but I get to be creative too!
19. Yoga and Meditation
I am grateful for my yoga and meditation practices today. Yoga grounds and centers me while keeping my body supple while meditation brings me to a place of stillness. Every time I do my yoga poses, I say thank you to my teacher, Brig, who introduced me to this soul-restoring workout many years ago.
Today, I am truly blessed to have the choice to practice yoga and meditation while soaking up the beautiful view and reveling in all of Mother Nature’s beauty that surrounds me.
20. My Loyal Supporters
Today, I am grateful to my loyal supporters who encourage me to keep doing what I love doing. I appreciate my readers, my online shoppers, and my inspiring coaching clients. It’s such an honor to have followers on my Instagram account or likes on my Facebook page – I am grateful for every one of you today and always.
Thank you for supporting me.
21. My Tarot Cards
Every morning I pull a tarot card or two to explore what I need to know today. I am grateful for the wisdom that comes from their messages and thankful that I can use my tarot deck to support my quest for personal growth and development.
I am grateful that I can use these intuitive tools to empower me as I strive to live a mindful and fulfilling life that’s balanced and peaceful.
Final Thoughts
When I practice gratitude, I make sure I add one new thing I am grateful for today to my list. The power of gratitude allows me to live in the moment and to take note of the “ordinariness” of life that brings much joy and beauty into my existence.
If you want to start practicing gratitude today but need a helping hand, download the printable Gratitude Journal from The Free Spirit Store. It includes 365 pages to capture the things you are grateful for each day of the year.
Thank you for reading my list of things I am grateful for today – I hope it helps you to know me better and inspires you to start noting what you’re thankful for. I end my article with a simple but profound statement by Eckhart Tolle,
“Acknowledging the good you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
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