24 Hour Gratitude Challenge 2022

Yesterday I recorded something I was grateful for, every hour, on the hour. Sharing today in honor of Thanksgiving!

I’m grateful…..

06:00….. That our main grocery store is open 24 hours/day, allowing me to go during Asher’s 5:30 a.m. swim practice and miss the rush later.

07:00…. for Asher’s swim coaches, and the strange hours they keep (early practice/ late practice, and everything in between).

08:00…. that I work from home and was able to squeeze in both a grocery run and Asher’s swim practice before being at my desk. Not needing to be showered and at the hospital by 0700 anymore is priceless.

09:00….. for my assortment of mugs that I drink my tea out of. I have a couple of favorites, and I’m grateful for them.

10:00…. for my basement storage room. (I just went in there to pull out the little basement Christmas trees so my mom and the boys could set that up for me.) My storage room is a perpetual mess, but I’m so grateful to have this space in my house to store things.

11:00…. for my boys’ school. Just received an email about ordering Ethan’s 8th Grade class shirt (the “graduation shirt!” wahhh…..sad!). So grateful for the very positive experience he has had at this school.

12:00….for my work team/ colleagues. There has been a group chain of “happy thanksgiving” messages going around today, and it’s made me grateful to be part of a really great (all-female!) team. (Not that men aren’t allowed, lol! It just happens that in my direct department (transplant quality/data), it’s currently all female run.)

1:00 p.m.…that my parents took the boys to a movie. Quiet house.

2:00 p.m.… for streaming workouts. As soon as I’m done working I’m going to do a 20 minute Beachbody workout (trying out the program Job One (all just 20 minute workouts!)). Decided to table trying to fit the gym in this week with just too much going on/ family staying with us. Will resume that next week. Something > nothing.

3:00 p.m… for sudden warm (well, much warmer) weather and sunshine! Snow melted outside and it’s mild. Made the decision to put in a couple hours of PTO and seize the opportunity to put up the outside Christmas lights.

4:00 p.m…. that I sorted and figured out my lights situation a few weeks ago, and now have everything I need. Putting up Christmas lights falls in the category of “really not fun to do but I LOVE it when it’s done….”.

5:00 p.m.…that the city recycle center was still open until 5 p.m. Putting up the outdoor lights led to me realize that we still had several bags of leaves in the backyard that never made it to the recycle center. (They had been covered with snow!) Grateful that the weather was mild and I could check this task off before “real winter” arrives.

6:00 p.m….hot water for a shower!

7:00 p.m….. that I am now finally “done”. No more work, no more errands, no more Christmas lights, no work tomorrow! Just waiting for husband to finish making the nachos that we’re going to enjoy at our basement bar, and then watch a movie.

8:00 p.m….for my piano. The basement decorations are up and my piano area is now sooo festive and beautiful!!

9:00 p.m… that my boys have grandparents who do fun things with them. (grandpa played pool with them, grandma sat on the floor and played a round of Yahtzee.)

10:00 p.m…..for streaming services and movies. I still miss the video store, going to be honest. But there is really an abundance of good TV/movies available these days. We watched a Netflix movie called Skater Girl about a young girl who takes up skateboarding in a small rural village in India, against her father’s wishes. (It was good! Just a note that it is in Hindi, with subtitles for majority of it.)

11:00 p.m…..for my couch. I fell asleep out there after the movie ended, oops. I’m grateful for comfortable furniture in my home.

12:00 a.m.…. for the feeling of ahhhh when you finally crawl into bed (to go to sleep for real this time after my nap on the couch. 😉 )

1:00 a.m….. for a furnace that heats my home even when I’m sleeping. No need to have someone stoking a fire.

2:00 a.m…. for living somewhere that is QUIET and peaceful at night for sleeping.

3:00 a.m.… that we have space in our home for everyone to have their own bedrooms and comfortable sleeping arrangements.

4:00 a.m…. that even though I occasionally wake up in the night, I don’t have any serious sleep ailments, like sleep apnea or severe insomnia.

5:00 a.m…. that I haven’t had to wake up to a baby crying or a toddler calling for me in years now. I am so grateful to have those years of child-related sleep interruptions behind us.

06:00 a.m.…. for the fact that I truly love getting up and starting my day. I don’t ever “dread” facing another day in my life- and that is a wonderful thing.

(*Hours 12 am-5 am filled in this morning)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (*If you’re not in the U.S., feel free to borrow our holiday today and say some thanks anyway, because any day is a good day for that. 😉 )

Grateful for everyone who reads this and for everyone who comments and makes this a really fun, special place for me. 🙂