We have all heard of the daily gratitude challenge where you list out anywhere from 3-10 things each day you are grateful for. Whether I am writing them down or praying at the end of every night, daily gratitude is a great exercise to remind myself of the small things each day that make my life complete.

Last week as I sat and thought about the day to day routine we now live in and how, for most of us, the days can start to blend together, I forced myself to really stop and think about the things that we still have during this pandemic that bring joy and happiness, from the grandiose to the smallest of simple pleasures. I had an idea to make a quick list of 10 of them right away as they came to the top of my mind. It was amazing how fast I was able to come up with a list but also how wonderful it felt to remind myself that there is still good to be found, even in this most challenging of times.

So, I thought I would write a blog post and share my 10 things and hopefully encourage all of you to take a few moments out of your day and do the same. While I wouldn’t do this exercise daily, I do think revisiting this list once a month and seeing the progression would be a welcome exercise.

1. Time with Family-When we weren’t seeing family at all for the first couple of months, it was torture. We spend time weekly with our family so not seeing them was like missing a piece of ourselves. I’ve never been more grateful for any time we get together now.
2. Time outside in the fresh air-Now that I work from home, there are many days where I would never have a reason to step outside unless I forced myself to. Getting out in the sun and going for a walk or running a quick errand helps get me out of my routine.
3. Weekly Starbucks runs-When I commuted to work, it was so easy to stop at the drive thru on the way but now that I am home, it no longer makes sense to do that plus the economic benefits were a huge plus. With that said, there is nothing I enjoy more than the simple pleasure of treating myself now.
4. Not rushing out the door and back everyday-While working from home has its pros and cons, I was constantly in a state of rushing to and from work and then to evening activities. Now, I can check in with my kids from my home office and stay more in tune with what’s going on in my house.
5. More time enjoying our home and our sweet (most of the time) dog. With my busy work schedule, time at home was mostly reserved for weekends so it definitely has been nice to finish a few home projects . Plus, our dog has become quite used to having all of us around everyday.
6. Any sense of normalcy for my kids-Seeing them smile or show signs of happiness right now warms my heart. Navigating what they can do socially with this pandemic but also managing their mental health has been challenging so seeing them in a state of happiness is truly a blessing.
7. Having my husband around more. When both of us were rushing off to the office, weekdays were pretty hectic with scattered dinner times even on some nights. Being able to slow down and be more present has been a welcome change. Plus, being able to finish those home projects has been huge!
8. Evening downtime-Whether this is a walk with a friend, watching TV, reading or scrolling social media, I try to disconnect from work and the news for a period each evening just to allow myself to recharge for the next day.
9. Weekly journaling-Being mindful of taking this time to express my thoughts and emotions has been therapeutic and does bring me joy as well. It’s a small break from everything else where I can just connect with God’s word too.
10. Our Health! Both physical and mental. In this time of a pandemic, I have never worried more about our health and safety but I also always remember to balance our mental health too because true happiness comes from feeling good everywhere.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!