November is the month where we all post on Facebook one thing that we are thankful for each day. 30 days of Thankfulness is what I have heard it called. When we look at all the things that we have to be thankful for, they are numerous.
At first, I wasn't sure if I could find 30 things for 30 days, all I could think of was the basic everyday things. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my house, my car, my job. These are most often the first things that come to mind when we think about what we are thankful for.
What about all the other things? The question is if you were to only have the things today that you were thankful for yesterday, what would you have?
Here is one that not many of us think about, but here in Arizona, we couldn't live without. Water. It seems so simple, we take it for such granted that we complain about how much water we should be drinking and never do. We drain half-full water bottles onto the street, into our plants, or down the drain. We are all guilty of these things, but it's not about the waste of water, it's the fact that we have it to waste. Living in a desert, we have water at our disposal whenever we want. We can go to the tap, or buy a bottle in the store. There are places even in the United States where water is something that people are desperate to have.
Shoes, when was the last time you thought about your shoes. Okay, if you are like me, they matter for every outfit you wear. If you are like me you also have a plethora of shoes in your closet to pick from for the right occasion, sandals, boots, tennis shoes, or heels. If you can't find the right pair in your closet you can go to the closest store and spend hours trying on and sifting through multiple pairs of shoes before picking just the right pair. Think of how blessed we are to have that many shoes, and to be able to get shoes whenever we want. Even if you are on a budget, you can find a pair of shoes for under $10. If you are like me, you have spent more than $10 on that "one" pair of shoes.
Socks. I can tell you I did not really think about socks as something to be thankful for. I wear them around the house sometimes, I toss them in the laundry and hope that they both come out. I have pairs in every color of the rainbow, and half in white, so I can match them when I lose one. I underestimated their power until I spent 16 hours walking a total of 27,000 steps in Disneyland. My sister was with me and she was smart enough to bring an extra pair of socks with her. At that moment I had never wanted a pair of socks more.
A coat. Yes, I live in Arizona, but I also work in an office that is colder than an Arizona winter day. I have hoodies, sweaters, and jackets. I have thin ones, thick ones, fluffy ones, pullovers, zip-ups, and any other kind you can think of. When its 110 degrees out a coat is the last thing on my mind, but in the winter, I just pull one out of my closet, or visit Summit Hut and find a new one to go with my fashion for the year. I have access to any coat I want whenever I want. It may not seem like a big deal, but when I am visiting up north, it makes a difference. The chill that goes through your bones is harder to get rid of than the dry heat.
When you go down your list of things to be thankful for this November, remember all the little things. Remember the things that you may see every day but not notice. Remember to be thankful.