‘Take for granted’ in the sense that we don’t notice, acknowledge, enjoy these things fully, and even complain about sometimes…

1. Waking up alive in the morning – thousands die every day
2. Seeing everyone else in the family also waking up alive and safe – no disasters
3. Having running water for brushing, shave and shower – millions in the world don’t
4. Having a choice of hot or cold or warm water for shower
5. Wearing nice clothes, with lots of choices and matching shoes and bag and jewelry
6. Eating breakfast and other meals – millions are starving to death
7. A job to go to – how many are jobless in your city/country?
8. A car, or other means of transport that allows you to get to work on time
9. Traffic that keeps moving
10. Weather that’s live-able – would you rather be at the poles or Sahara?
11. People trusting you with their problems at work
12. Appliances and technology that (seem to) make life easier – imagine life without a microwave, washing machine, mobile phone, computer…
13. Stable electricity – many places have daily power cuts
14. Getting paid on time
15. Our ability to see, hear, taste, touch, read, write, think, walk, talk, work, pray, love…
16. Our education, knowledge, skills, experience, values…
17. Having a home with furnishing and comforts
18. Someone waiting for you at home, someone to wait for
19. Someone that loves you, someone you love
20. Kids – so what if they are not like us
21. Friends, and people who care about you, people you care about
22. Home-cooked meal
23. Enough clothes to change a couple of times within a day
24. The air we breathe, water we drink, the variety of food we eat
25. Money in the pocket, money in the bank, credit cards – millions live under $1 per day
26. Newspapers, magazines and books to read
27. TV with 100 channels, and movies to watch
28. Games to play
29. Clubhouse or gym to workout
30. Parents – they are the reason for our being
31. Good health and fitness – thousands of hospitals in the world full of millions of sick
32. Functioning government
33. Good school for kids
34. Weekends, public holidays
35. Faith, religion, beliefs and values
36. Nice bed to sleep in, pillows, blankets, reading lamp, alarm clock…
37. Trees, flowers, sunrise, sunset, stars, moon, sea, mountain, rivers, breeze…

How different would our days (and therefore life) be if we noticed, acknowledged, enjoyed and were grateful for even half the things we take for granted every day? Would we be happier, more cheerful and have more enthusiasm? Would we complain less? You bet.

Right now, I am grateful for the long battery life on my mac, the comfortable sofa, the cushion on my lap absorbing the heat from the notebook, the lamp, the cool breeze from the window, the family sleeping quietly, the calm of the morning (4 AM), WordPress, Facebook, people who ask me when they don’t see a new post on my blog… a fridge full of stuff, mostly healthy!

Please share through comments (here or on my Facebook page) what else we usually take for granted, every day. Thanks for reading and sharing.

[Self photography during a beautiful drive in Surabaya yesterday, feeling the rain and breeze]