44 Blessings

I am 44 today. I can’t believe it. Really. I still haven’t figured out what happened to my twenties and thirties, and already I’m almost half way through my 40s. I’m not complaining, though. I’m in good health and rich with more blessings than I can count, which became abundantly clear over the last few days after my uncle died, when my family came together to mourn his sudden passing and celebrate his life. Here are 44 things for which I am thankful—some silly, some serious—that come to mind.

1. My family, both immediate and extended (that includes you, Nanny Frannie!)
2. My friends—old and new, near and far
3. My place
4. My pool
5. My car
6. My job (the fact that I have a job, anyway)
7. Summers off
8. My balloon check (coming June 5!)
9. My trip to Europe
10. Pictures from my trip to Europe
11. Coffee in the morning
12. A glass of wine at night
13. Light hair that helps me get away without shaving my legs as often as I should
14. Margaritas
15. Other, vodka-based, "adult beverages"
16. Silver jewelry
17. My nails
18. Books
19. School Supplies
20. Journals
21. Flowers
22. The smell of lilacs and Lily of the Valley
23. Simmons College
24. Okay, maybe just Vodka
25. My patent leather Pliners
26. Pork Products
27. Being called Asia (pronounced Asha), my Polish nickname, by my nieces and nephews
28. Cooking
29. A good laugh
30. A good cry
31. Soft Sheets
32. A Comfy Bed
33. Sunbathing
34. Hair clips in the summer
35. My laptop
36. My cell phone
37. My shredder
38. Cable TV--especially the Food Network and msnbc
39. My dishwasher
40. My mandolin (the kitchen kind)
41. My brass cafe sculpture, once Mrs. Sterner's
42. Being raised by a village
43. All the birthday wishes I got today
and... last but not least...
44. Arugula