Gratitude Challenge

Ah, more challenges.

This time, I am not donating money or increasing awareness of an illness. I am required to list three things that I am either thankful for or things that make me happy for five days in a row.

Instead of doing this for five days, I’ve made a list of 15. It’s bolded for those of you that like to skim.

  1. Living in Rochester. Although I moved here just about a year ago, It’s already felt like home. I’ve met amazing friends, built a true network, got involved in the community, and enjoyed Rochester’s charming festivals and history. Most all of my friends would laugh at this and say that I don’t actually live in Rochester because I’m 10 minutes away from the city, but I’m still a part of this awesome place.
  2. Listening to Divergent on a CD on my drive to/from work. I wrote a blog post recently about podcasts and books on tape, and my feelings haven’t really changed much. It’s freaky how much I enjoy driving to work now that I’m listening to a book on tape…and it’s good!
  3. Coffee and Tea. Coffee gets me through my mornings, and tea gets me through the night. They’re delicious, and help me satisfy my insane sweet tooth…sometimes. Bigelow tea is the best. Period. Especially Vanilla Caramel.
  4. My Cell Phone. It’s cliche, it’s millennial, but I don’t care. I am thankful that I have a little piece of technology that can share photos, bring me news, call my friends all over the country, and get me where I need to be.
  5. This Blog. This blog has done a lot for me. It’s been a release, a practice in writing, and a way to check in on my mental strength. I also appreciate my readers…every single one of you. It’s selfish to say, but it makes me feel valued.
  6. Crockpots. I get lazy…a lot. Crockpots let me make a lot of food with very few ingredients and little thinking. I made pulled BBQ chicken with four ingredients. Score.
  7. My College Experience. My four years of college will stay with me for the rest of my life. The friends I made, the friends I lost, the classes I took, and every other piece of my time at Geneseo is incredibly special to me.
  8. Spotify. Music on demand, what? So great. I listen to specific playlists at work, when I’m sitting around my apartment, and when I’m exercising. My favorite part of Spotify are the collaborative playlists. I can connect with friends and think of them while I listen to a playlist. It’s great.
  9. Frozen Yogurt. It’s delicious, and I love toppings. Cookie dough bites, bananas, kit kats…all of it. It’s one of the many food items which I immediately crave when I hear the word, or think about it. Now I’m hungry.
  10. Cameras. I like pictures. I like looking at old pictures, saving pictures, hanging pictures. Lately, I haven’t been taking too many pictures. I haven’t been capturing the moments in my life, and I’ll have a hard time looking back on the little things as time goes on. Mental note: more pictures.
  11. Bengay and Pain Killers. Running sucks. Plain and simple. It hurts my knees, shins, and my brain. Thankfully, I have drugs that make the pain go away temporarily…so that I can continue to run and hurt myself.
  12. Friends who I can talk to on the phone while I’m in the bathroom. Girls do it, men don’t understand it, but it happens. I have a handful of people who I am close enough to that I can tell anything to, and trust completely.
  13. Twitter. Twitter keeps me connected personally and professionally. I can read interesting news articles, participate in discussions about marketing, or keep up with friends all over the place. It’s pretty awesome.
  14. iCal. I am busy. Very very very busy. I also have a miserable memory. Without a synced calendar, I would miss every important appointment and ditch friends all the time. Thank you, Apple.
  15. Reading. I’ve forced myself to start reading more, and used to be diligent about it. I pushed through the first 3 Harry Potter books in the series, but haven’t read in a week or so. It makes me happy, and I need to do it more.

I’m supposed to nominate some other people to do the challenge, but I think everyone should try it.

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