A few years ago, some friends and I started a “gratitude group.” Each day we try to list 10 things for which we are thankful, and email them to each other. A few years ago, I would have scoffed at this “attitude of gratitude,” but now I look forward to it, amazed at how this small action affects my life.  It doesn’t matter what time of day I write my list; if I start the day with one, I go out into the world with a lighter perspective. If I make one before I turn off the light, I sleep a little sounder.

On Thanksgiving, we expand our daily ritual, and enjoy the challenge of coming up with 100 things.  One of my favorite times of this slightly chaotic holiday is when I sneak away for some alone time with the lists that have filled my inbox.  And then I write my own.

It always unfolds the same way for me. I start out strong, hammering out 30 or 40 things…then I hesitate in the middle, struggle though the 70s, and then find my stride again at the end, forcing myself to stop at 100, now that  things I love are rolling off my finger tips into the computer.

Skeptics be damned; I highly recommend the daily practice of gratitude. Start with 5 if 10 feels like too much. (We all have 5-item days.) I imagine that appreciation for the things and people and life around will start to grow, and soon enough you’ll rattle off 100 no problem.

One Hundred Thanks: 2011

1. 1547 lists of gratitude in my “Gratitude” file.
2. chap stick
3. Clementina Russo, who taught me to cook in red lipstick
4. red lipstick
5. Lily Clare, age 8
6. chandeliers
7. “hydrate or die.”
8. Jennifer, her life
9. Sabine and that Maia
10. Jenny, her gratitude
11. Ariane, her writing
12. Catie, her photos
13. Ali, her grace
14. Aly, her growth
15. Elizabeth, her perseverance
16. Antonia, her honesty
17. Amber, her spirit
18. pencils
19. David Foster Wallace^W
20. hummingbirds
21. rainy days in LA
22. 1989 In Singapore
23. Kalen Egan, his patience, his kindness, his laughter, his smarts, his project “Knock & Rock.”
24. rivers and oceans and waves and puddles and dew
25. vinyl records
26. live music in unexpected places
27. The Magpie List
28. Clover the dog
29. Melinda Hill and Marriage Material
30. Sam Muna, who writes me notes from the Republic of Congo
31. Kacy, who takes care of orphans in South Africa
32. Scrabble
33. Terrence Malick: Bad Lands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World, The Tree of Life
34. vegetables, delivered to our door
35. Zeb Knudson, his friendship, his laughter, his assistance in the kitchen
36. all the books everywhere
37. my winter memoir project
38. the sound of Canada Geese overhead
39. Y: the Last Man
40. singer songwriters
41. Star Trek, the Next Generation
42. all the things that make me laugh on youtube
43. new apartment: heaters, air conditioner, hot water, wood floors, less rent.
44. pie
45. Barack Obama
46. Andrew my brother, Clare my sister
47. Mark and Deb, my parents
48. everyone who willing to support me, my past, present and future
49. Francois Trufaut
50. bread
51. i am employed
52. coffee, chocolate, wine, tea, cookies, ice cream, cake
53. Joan Didion^W
54. our Thai money trees
55. my budget book. if I can put together an entire piece of Ikea furniture by myself, I can make a better life for me and my family, one day at a time.
56. vision boards and new years resolutions
57. Dog Day Afternoon
58. the holidays
59. Dave Eggers^W
60. Lily Clare, age 8, and all that reading
61. France
62. Harry Potter
63. ordering the turkey from a restaurant. good move.
64. baking everything else from scratch with Kalen and Zeb. good move.
65. left-overs
66. my life today is so extremely, wonderfully,  different from what it was 4 years ago!
67. Papercuts and Hummingbirds, wherever it takes me.
68. Los Angeles
69. Petaluma
70. Olympia
71. Santa Cruz
72. New York
73. Singapore
74. San Francisco
75. Miss Maya, all her love, all her strength, all her beauty
76. Bailey, all her friendship, all her laughter, all her loyalty
77. Lydia Hylsop, her creativity, her determination, her singing
78. fog
79. George and Sil, I think about them every day
80. owls
81. five years ago I moved to LA (good move.)
82. opera
83. we can almost see our floor; we are almost done unpacking
84. sober September
85. Aly and Heather and Notion:Creative
86. tattoos
87. 15 minutes-es
88. Jenn, and Gio, and baby Stella: strength, friendship, loyalty, hilarity, creativity, beauty
89. cell phones, computers, internet, ipads, youtube, facebook, and text messaging
90. stationary, typewriters, pens, and pencils
91. postcards
92. Paul Thomas Anderson: There Will be Blood, Punch Drunk Love, Boogie Nights, Magnolia
93. my coworkers and our work-like-family existence
94. January. It’s coming.
95. my 7th grade drama teacher. my 4th grade math tutor. my American adviser in France. my writing teachers, my psych teachers, my softball coaches.
96. warm summer nights
97. bare feet
98. long quiet autumn days
99. a long productive year

1oo. I am alive, I am healthy, I am happy.