Gratitude Challenge - Day 1

Every year, I encourage my learners to participate in a Gratitude Challenge during the month of November. Over the years, I've done it in a variety of ways. I've included the challenge in my writing plans, I've made it both voluntary and required, and I've asked the learners to write at home each day. I've changed the prompts in my challenge a lot over the years, too. The thing that's always been the same is that my kids have gotten excited about it, and as with many activities, I've ended up learning so much from them.

This year, I'm committing to participating in the challenge alongside them. I'll post on my blog each day. #gottakeepup For the first nine days of the challenge, the prompt is to make a list of many things and then to pick one thing to write in more detail about.

The prompt for Day One is simple:

Things for which I am grateful that are green: 

• money
• grass
• brussel sprouts
• artichokes
• arugula
• cucumbers
• spinach 
• green juice
• Season 6 of Friends DVDs 
• Hulu
• spicy pickled green beans
• spicy pickles
• green curry with shrimp
• cotton candy grapes
• spearmint flavored anything
• Tea to Go! 
• Doublemint Gum
• Christmas trees
• the trees that surround Katy Trail
• the Messages and Phone apps on my phone
• Starbucks
• green lights
• street signs
• my jade infinity scarf
• leaves on flowers (especially hydrangeas) 
• avocados

Looking at my list, I can't help but notice how many of these things are edible. I suppose it's not surprising; I love food! 

I can narrow it down to three edible things on this list: cotton candy grapes, Tea to Go, and green curry with shrimp. They stand out to me the most because they're things that I've only just recently discovered. Last year, they wouldn't have even been on my list. I am grateful that there are always new foods and drinks to try.. that there might be things on my green list next year that I haven't even discovered yet. 

I think I'm most thankful for cotton candy grapes. Have you ever tried them? They're deceivingly delicious. They genuinely taste just like candy (hence the name). They're sweet and fruity, and when I'm eating them, I can trick myself into thinking I'm eating candy, when really I'm making a healthy decision. 

There's more to it than the sweet taste of them, though. They remind me of a special memory. I first learned about cotton candy grapes during a time when my whole world was falling apart. My Dad had just passed away, and my bestie, Shawna, came to stay with me. She was (and is) a Saint. She cleaned, grocery shopped, ran my errands, and kept me going during the week after Dad died and before school started. That's a time that I hardly remember. In fact, most of it is a haze when I try to look back on it. But, I remember the cotton candy grapes. She brought them home from the grocery store one day, and I couldn't believe my taste buds. It's such a small thing. Grapes. It was a happy thing though - a bright spot - and it stuck with me. In the weeks after she left and went back home and I started my new normal, trying to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, cotton candy grapes continued to be this little burst of joy in my day. I realize that seems crazy, but if you've ever experience grief or tragedy, I think you'll connect to the way that one little thing can make you feel just a tad bit better. 

So, today, I'm thankful for cotton candy grapes, the possibility of new tastes in my future, and bright spots and best friends that get you through the tough times.