Today is Gratitude Day!

Concluding my list of '100 Gratitudes', I am grateful for...

97. travel - I went on my first overseas trip when I was ten. My mum, dad, sister and I went to the U.S.A. I remember being stunned by everything that was different. I'd grown up in a very, very small town so America was definitely an eye-opener! Looking back, I suppose that's when I got bitten by the travel bug. I've been to some amazing places since then; some I dreamt of for a long time. I can't help but pinch myself when I think over all the wonder I've seen with my very own eyes. I am eternally grateful. Nothing can ever take those travelling experiences away from me. They'll live on in my memories for the rest of my life. If I want to return to the safari in Namibia, or Karnak Temple in Egypt, or the crystal clear ocean in Zanzibar, or the snow-covered mountains in France, or the grungy cityscape of Berlin...all I have to do is close my eyes and I'm back there. What joy!

98. Australia - I've actually seen very little of my own country. I've never been to Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef. I always imagined I would see Australia when I was old; a grey nomad! So I still have that to look forward to. :-) I know there is some truly magnificent scenery to be seen in Australia. I'm very, very fortunate to be able to call such a beautiful country my home. I'm grateful to my homeland for making me into the person I am today. Travelling the world may have opened my mind and I may currently live overseas, but the Australian in me is always there.

99. love - this is the most significant thing I am grateful for. I live for love. That might sound lame, but it's my truth. People find it hard to explain love, and I'm no different, but it's something we've all felt - whether it be from our families, friends or partners. Even strangers. It's the one thing that brings us all together, a common goal. We're all searching for it, hoping for it, longing for it. I love and I am loved. That's all I could ever wish for.

100. my life - cliché I know, but I had to end this gratitude list with something really important. And what's more important than my own life? I can't think of a thing! I'm so very grateful for not only the life I am living, but my life in general. I'm grateful for having this opportunity to think and breathe and experience. I'm grateful for simply being. My life has its ups and downs just like everyone else, but when I step back and look at everything I'm experiencing and feeling I am reminded that life is pretty fantastic! I only get this one chance to live my life in this particular incarnation, so I want to enjoy it! That's why I started this list; to remind me of what makes me happy in this world. I am absolutely filled with gratitude as a result. Blessings!