giving thanks...

Here are 100 things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving 2011:

1. My husband. He is my best friend, my rock, and the love of my life.
2. My family, with all of their quirks and peculiarities.
3. The plethora of amazing friends in my life. my core. How grateful I am to be surrounded by so many inspiring, amazing people.
4. My cat, Charlie. She's one orange ball of crazy love.
5. My beautiful semi near the park.
6. High park.
7. Yoga.
8. Being able to exercise and practice yoga every single day.
9. Yoga teachers like janey b...
10. and michael decorte...
11. and davian den otter...
12. and jana webb...
    
13. and misha steiner (i miss u!)
14. My job. though i may sometimes complain, i know how lucky i am.
15. Toronto. i live in the greatest city in the world.
16. Summer in toronto.
17. Patios.
18. Autumn. Ontario is especially beautiful with coloured leaves.
    
19. Winter (that's right, i like winter!)
20. Okay, and spring.
21. Thanksgiving...
22. ... and CHRISTMAS!!!
23. Live Food Bar. Organic, vegan, deliciousness. and the owner is a true gem.
    
24. The TTC, especially streetcars.
25. My Blundstones. They are a little like the winter jacket I bought last year - how the heck did I survive without them?!!
26. Blogs!!
27. Music.
28. CBC Radio 2, perfect music for the workday!
    
29. Farmers markets.
30. Big Carrot and Kensington Market.
    
31. David's Tea in Bloor West Village.
32. The Lunchbox and Tea Tree Cafe.
33. Learning, and my endless quest for "useless" information.
34. That I have finally stumbled upon my passion(s).
35. That we are all unique. There are so many amazing people to learn so much from.
    
36. My hair - always exactly the same, and thus, entirely predicable!
37. Ruth's Foods chia goodness.
38. Holy Crap cereal.
39. Sunwarrior protein powder.
    
40. Kale. I adore kale.
41. and goat cheese.
42. Wine!
43. Chocolate!!!
44. The lovely opera singer who hands me my daily metro newspaper.
45. The daily metro crossword. It makes me feel smart.
46. Books!! So many books... about so many things!!
47. Long weekends.
48. Brown rice.
49. That brown rice comes in noodle form!
50. Rice milk lattes.
51. That brown rice comes in milk form!
    
52. El Coco Loco Nicaragua, and all of the inspirational work my brother-in-law and his lovely gf are doing in Nica through Waves of Hope.
53. Clean sheets.
54. Strangers who immediately offer their seats when I dare to board a packed streetcar during rush hour with two giant bags and three massive pies.
55. The new texting service on the TTC.
56. My bicycle. I love my green Frieda even though I neglect her so.
57. Roncesvalles.
58. The Beaches (I'm not hip enough to call it "The Beach").
59. The fact that after living in TO for almost 20 years, I am still discovering amazing new places and neighbourhoods!
60. Change.
61. This weekend's forecast! It's October!
62. Having the right to vote...
63. ... and to choose my life path.
64. Canada. Enough said.
65. Pizza Libretto and Woodlot - oh my!
66. 889 Yonge.
67. energy Xchange.
68. Tula.
69. Iam Yoga, etc etc.
    
70. That half of my grandparents are still alive.
71. Mentors.
72. Having friends to visit all over the world.
73. Free healthcare.
74. Guess jeans. Finally jeans that fit!
75. That the 504 streetcar finally goes to Dundas West.
76. Spirulina.
77. Being Erica.
    
78. Twitter. It took me awhile to get on board, but now I get it.
    
79. Peppermint oil. Perfectly natural pain relief.
80. Lululemon yoga pants. If I could, I would live in these pants.
81. Christmas is only two months away!! I really, really love Christmas.
    
82. Autoshare. Genius invention.
    
83. All of the amazing restaurants in TO.
84. Trains.
85. My washer and dryer. I know, sounds lame, but I really love my new machines.
86. That I can take a bath or shower whenever I want! When you've backpacked through Central America (or anywhere else), this is something you come to value.
87. All of the traveling I have been able to do.
88. That I have climbed mountains and volcanoes, scuba dived and sandboarded, seen ancient Mayan ruins and tasted delicious food around the world.
89. My Polish roots. It took me awhile to accept them when I was a kid, but now I am grateful for my unique Polish quirks. Polska!
90. Pickles.
91. Babcia's pickle soup. OMG.
92. Babcia.
93. Airplanes that bring Babcia to me and me to Babcia. I don't like flying, but I sure am grateful that I can get across the Atlantic in 6 hours.
    
94. My iphone. It keeps me organized and connected.
95. Yoga, yoga, yoga... and kickboxing, spinning, pilates, etc.
    
96. The fact that I absolutely love to exercise.
97. Massages.
98. Apple crumble.
    
99. That if we try hard enough, we can all find at least one thing we are grateful for, even if it's the fact that we're still breathing.
    
100. Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! mxo