49 – By Shawn Layton

1. I am thankful for my family – To my parents for giving birth to me, to my siblings for being my closest kin best friends. There would be no Me without You.
2. I am thankful for my soul mate – To You for being the one who understands everything I’m going through and for being there to experience life with me.
3. I am thankful for my friends – To You All for being an inspiration, lifelong companions.
4. I am thankful for my sense of sight – Being able to see all the colors life has to offer.
5. I am thankful for my sense of hearing – Being able to hear the voices of loved ones, for the many different types of music to spark my passions.
6. I am thankful for my sense of touch – Being able to feel the breeze of the wind, to hold the hands of my partner, to stroke the soft fur coat of my dog.
7. I am thankful for my sense of smell – Being able to smell my favorite foods, fresh cut grass and beautiful wild flowers.
8. I am thankful for my sense of taste – Being able to savor the sweetness of berries, the richness of chocolate, the saltiness of seawater.
9. I am thankful for the gift of speech – Having the means to express myself through laughter, to sing, to scream, to whisper.
10. I am thankful for my heart – For pumping blood throughout my body every second since I was in my mother’s womb.
11. I am thankful for my lungs – For having the capacity to take in oxygen, breathing life into my body and brain.
12. I am thankful for my immune system – For the ability to fight viruses that enter my body, for keeping me in good health to be active.
13. I am thankful for my brain – For the ability to think, to store lasting memories, to problem solve and create solutions.
14. I am thankful for my hands and legs – For the ability to shake other’s hands, to hold my coffee cup, to walk, run, swim, dance and work out.
15. I am thankful for my mentors and teachers – For their dedication, for passing down their wisdom, for inspiring me to be the man I have become and will be in the future.
16. I am thankful for my tears – For the ability to release emotion.
17. I am thankful for disappointment – For the ability to realize what matters most to me.
18. I am thankful for my fears – For the ability to sense opportunity for personal growth.
19. I am thankful for pain – For the ability to develop and gain tolerance.
20. I am thankful for sadness – For the ability to appreciate the spectrum of human emotions.
21. I am thankful for happiness – For the ability to absorb all things beautiful.
22. I am thankful for the Sun, sunrise and sunset – For shining down light, surrounding the world, giving life to all its inhabitants.
23. I am thankful for the Moon and Stars – For creating and taming the tides, for the glow in the night sky.
24. I am thankful for the rain – For cooling the Earth, allowing all plant life to grow, for providing the water I drink.
25. I am thankful for rainbows – For the beauty of harmonious color after a rain storm, for the inspiration to create a symbol for equality.
26. I am thankful for the Earth – For your unconditional love, for generously giving all life a place to live.
27. I am thankful for all animal and plant life – For diversity of life on this planet, for the food that we consume.
28. I am thankful for Mother Nature – For covering our world in beauty, in living art.
29. I am thankful for oxygen – For making it possible for all life to grow up, be strong and flourish.
30. I am thankful for time – For the ability to grow older and wiser, to experience the journey.
31. I am thankful for the internet and computers – For connecting and exploring new cultures, despite the physical space between us, from the comfort of home.
32. I am thankful for technology – For helping to shape the future, for making the impossible possible.
33. I am thankful for mobile phones – For making it easy to stay in touch with loved ones.
34. I am thankful for transportation – For making it easier to commute by land, water and air, from one place to another.
35. I am thankful for movies – For combining art and drama on screen, providing a source of elaborate entertainment.
36. I am thankful for music – For creating the rhythm for all emotion.
37. I am thankful for books and literature – For containing the means to learn and imagine all things possible.
38. I am thankful for blogs – For inspiring and connecting like-minded people and interests.
39. I am thankful for clothes and shoes – For protecting the body and feet from the elements, for providing the canvas for self expression.
40. I am thankful to have a career – For providing a source of income for a comfortable living, for a place to bring people together through diversity.
41. I am thankful to have a home – For a place of comfort, safety and love, providing shelter.
42. I am thankful to have a bed – For a place to sleep comfortably every night, to dream with and hold my life partner.
43. I am thankful for kind strangers – For an unexpected encounter to lift and build each other up.
44. I am thankful for enemies – For showing us all how strong together we truly are.
45. I am thankful for my mistakes – For helping me to improve and become a better friend, person and human being.
46. I am thankful for love and heartbreak – For feeling what it means to be be alive through youth exploration to maturity.
47. I am thankful for life’s challenges – For living a path full of obstacles and adventures, a path to identity confirmation.
48. I am thankful for life and death – For giving and giving back, for the chance to experience all worthy of experiencing, for the opportunity to leave a legacy to motivate a positive life to lead in others.
49. I am thankful for the memory and legacy of the 49 – For bringing people together, for inspiring others to celebrate life and diversity, through equality and acceptance, for living on in the hearts of everyone… Forever.


One thought on “49 by Shawn Layton

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *