The Things I’m Thankful For

Note: Last week I promised to follow-up my post on disability insurance with an explanation of the things you should consider when purchasing a policy. Given that it’s Thanksgiving, I decided to reschedule that follow-up for Monday of next week.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Or, if you’re not in the US, happy Thursday!

Typically we travel down to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with my wife’s big extended family. It’s really a great experience with everyone bringing their best dishes and tons of little cousins running around causing trouble. But given that my wife is 8 months pregnant, travel was not going to happen this year.

So today we’re driving the 30 minutes west of Boston to spend Thanksgiving with my parents, my three brothers and my Nana. This is special for me because as much as I love going down to Florida (and I really do), it’s nice to be able to be “home”. It should be a fun, relaxing, low-key day full of good food, football and of course an epic 2-on-2 all-brother basketball game in the driveway.

I have a lot to be thankful for

About three months ago I started keeping a gratitude journal as part of my daily morning routine. It’s pretty simple. Each morning I mark down the date in my notebook and write down 3 things I’m grateful for. It only takes me a couple of minutes, but it starts my day out on a really positive note. I’ve also found myself thinking more and more about how grateful I am at other times of the day, which has been a nice side-effect.

So, given that it’s Thanksgiving and all, I thought I’d share some of the things I’m most thankful for. In the comments, I’d love to hear your gratitude list. I often realize things I’m thankful for but hadn’t yet thought about by hearing other people’s thoughts.

So without further ado…

I’m thankful for my wife, who is the most amazingly supportive and encouraging person I know. Her belief in me gives me the courage to try things I think I might otherwise be too fearful to try.

I’m thankful for my son, who from day one has been full of what seems like limitless positive energy. I learn so much from watching and playing with him, and it’s just a ridiculous amount of fun. His curiosity and persistence when faced with something he doesn’t know is inspiring.

I’m thankful that we’re all healthy and that our current pregnancy has been smooth sailing. Nolan will be here soon!

I’m thankful that my work situation allows me to be present for things like doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds. Time is our most precious resource and I’m happy I have the flexibility to spend mine on those kinds of things.

I’m thankful that my parents’ number 1 goal was to teach us about love and respect for our family. I firmly believe that family is the most important thing we have and I couldn’t possibly have had better role models growing up.

I’m thankful that our son has gotten to know my parents, my brothers, and even my wife’s family in Florida so well. There’s not much cuter than watching him get almost overwhelmed by excitement when he sees his “Guh Guhs” (which is what he calls my parents). He has a lot of love in his life and it’s pretty awesome.

I’m thankful for all the people who read this blog, comment, and email me with questions. Being able to connect with real people like you is what really makes this fun.

I’m thankful for all the people who have helped me not be terrible at blogging and who have taught me a lot about life and money. I started this blog with the intention of helping other people, but I’ve been blown away by how much I’ve learned myself. Holly Johnson was the first person who started reading regularly and she’s given me a ton of advice that has made a big difference. Other people who’ve given me support and advice along the way include John, Joe, Pauline, Jacob, Grayson, Laurie, Michelle, MMD and plenty of others who I’m going to forget to mention here. It’s really amazing how many helpful people there are out there when you’re willing to look for them.

Ok, I’ll stop there, though I feel like I could go on and on. Thank you everyone for reading and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo courtesy of martha_chapa95