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ABC of Gratitude

As part of the Gratitude Challenge I am participating in for the next 21 days, I have been asked to put together an alphabet of Gratitude. It was an interesting exercise of introspection and a good way to revisit my knowledge of English (how many good words do I know, that start with "I"?). Here is my list:
Airplane: A great invention, that allows us to visit so much of the world and stay in touch with far-away friends and family in so little time.
Barcelona: A great city from many standpoints (lively, beach, food, culture), and where my husband and I met. Fond memories!
California: The place we have made our home for now. Far from family, but attractive enough for us to stay.
Daniel: My precious son who added so much to my life in just 20 months.
Europe: Where my roots and family are (especially France, where I grew up, and Germany, which is almost my second home). I love the European culture and I miss it here.
Family/Friends/Facebook: How convenient all these words start with the same letter. Family and Friends are very important to me. And Facebook has become a great tool to stay in touch and reconnect with a lot of them.
Guido: My partner of 10 years/husband of 5, team mate, soul mate and biggest supporter.
Health: So thankful for the fact that my family, and especially Daniel, is mostly healthy. I can't imagine how hard it must be for parents to take care of a sick child, and I know some don't have the choice.
ILW (initial leadership workshop): One of the first trainings I attended in my career, when I was a consultant. I learned so much about people's styles, leadership and being flexible. It impacted my day to day interactions with people forever.
Jugo: My favorite drink when backpacking in South America. I craved so many jugos after hiking in the wilderness for 6 days and just drinking stream water.
Kilimanjaro: My most challenging adventure so far. Getting to the top of the mountain was tough. But it was also very rewarding, and it made me really appreciate the team work and support with my husband.
Love: what would be life without it?
Music: I have always enjoyed music. It's a great way to connect people, and keep spirits up.
New: I love change and trying new things. My life would be so boring without new things happening all the time
Open mind: Very important concept when visiting different places, and meeting new people. Helps take new experiences positively.
Patience: My 20-month old recently started to understand the word "wait", which made our job as parents so much easier. It also reminded me that patience is an important quality in life, even for adults.
Q as in Avenue Q: The last musical I watched (a few years ago). It was so much fun and refreshing. I definitely need to see more like this one.
Reality: It's easy to get drawn into dreaming about better things and complaining about how things are. When stepping back, though, I realize that my reality is not that bad after all, it's actually pretty good, and I should be thankful for it.
Sun: One of the reasons I love California. Couldn't live without it.
Tinyprints: The company I work for, and that I am very proud of for putting together the Gratitude Challenge, and just making customers happy when celebrating key life events.
Universe: Actually, I rather wanted to say Earth or World, but both E and W were taken... So here we land with universe, as my way to be grateful for a beautiful world we have and need to protect.
Vacation: Yes, even if I love my job, I love vacations too. A time to reconnect with family, see new things and most importantly, sleep!
Welcome: A word I have been lucky to hear a lot as I moved a lot across countries and continents. Trying hard to reciprocate when I see people that are just settling in around us.
Xtra day/hour: Every time I find myself having more time than expected (to sleep, play with Daniel or even work), I am so happy. Time has definitely become the scarce resource in my life.
Yes! Having a positive attitude and being willing to say "yes" more often than "no" can be so powerful.
Zoom & camera: nothing better to capture the precious moments with my son, before he grows up (much too fast for my taste).


Want to get inspired? Learn more about the Gratitude Challenge.

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