My Appreciation List

My parents always taught me to appreciate the things I had. Growing up in East Africa, there were many around us who were extremely poor. There were people who were literally starving to death, or people dying of AIDs. Children who were begging for change on the street and families living in shanty towns.

“There’s always someone who has it worse than you do,” my mother used to say.

And that is something I never forget and the images I’ve seen of the truly poor in Africa are burned in my brain.

So today I am writing my appreciation list, for the things I have I am grateful for.

I hope you will join me in doing the same.

I Appreciate:
1. My eyes, nose, ears, legs, and arms.
2. The beautiful city that I live in.
3. My good health.
4. The mother and father that were sent to me to teach me how to be a good human.
5. Laughing.
6. The roof over my head.
7. Friends that are just as good if not better than family.
8. A loving, attentive husband.
9. Peanut butter.
10. That I live in a society that is getting closer to accepting the LGBT community and understanding that love is love, no matter what.
11. A strong, loving, crazy family including cousins that will ride or die for me.
12. My dog Lola, who is wrapped around my legs right now.
13. The beach on a Sunday morning.
14. Sunsets.
15. Hot chocolate on a rainy day.
16. My heritage. My background. My blood.
17. Kenya.
18. My childhood- with all it’s ups and downs.
19. The people I have bumped into along the way. Even the people on trains, planes, and subways. You are all angels.

And finally…
20. My obstacles because they make me stronger.