April 30th - Jackets

April 30th
I am grateful for jackets. At this point in time, I am grateful to be wearing my jacket as it is freezing in Canberra.

I am grateful that this is helping me to keep warm while I am out in the cold and is able to be keep my body away from the cold wind.

I am grateful that this helps me not to get sick, catch a cold or get the flu as a result.

I am so so grateful to have this with me right now to keep me warm.

April 29th - My Wallet

April 29th
I am grateful for my wallet. I am grateful that it simply stores my money and cards, and can fit in my pocket, meaning I can carry it with me wherever I go.

I am grateful that there are many pouches to hold many cards which I find important to have as  I need to have them with me when I go shopping or to hold my ID in.

I am grateful for the zip up money pouch which holds coins and the bigger pouch to hold the notes in.

I am grateful even for the small clear pocket where I can keep a photo of my wife in there and look at it when I miss her, or as a reminder that I need to buy milk.

April 28th - Exercise bike

April 28th
I am grateful for my exercise bike. I am grateful that when ever I am unable to go for a walk outside due to the weather being challenging, I am able to do some cardio exercise by riding my exercise bike inside.

I am grateful that I am able to do different workout which are programmed into the bike. This allows me to decide which intensity and speed I have to follow within the workout.

I am grateful that it tells me how many calories I have burnt and how far I have been riding.

I am grateful that this is a good motivation for me to continue exercising and helping me keep fit and loose weight.

April 27th - CD's (Compact Discs)

April 27th
I am grateful for CD's. I am grateful that I am able to use it as storage for many media files such as music, photo, videos and programs.

I am grateful that many CD's I have contain music which I have brought from music stores....hope everyone still remembers Sanity.

I am grateful that many of my projects like my videos, music and pictures are able to be stored on CD's and easily transfers onto computers.

April 26th - Fast food

April 26th
I am grateful for fast food restaurants and fast food in general. I am grateful that this is a quick and easy way to cure hunger when we are busy or on the road. Especially on long drives interstate.

I am grateful that it is tasty and somewhat nutritious, in a way. I am grateful that there are many fast food outlets around as we can stop quickly for a quick bite.

I am grateful that there are many different types of fast food, such as burgers, fries, soft drinks, wraps, snack foods etc, and I am grateful that a majority of this food is hot and cooked well, ready for you within minutes.

April 25th - Newspapers

April 25th
I am grateful for newspapers. I am grateful that they are able to give us news of any kind, local, interstate, international news, as well as sports, entertainment and of course the comics section.

I am grateful that this gives us information about what is going on in the world and how it can or may effect us in which ever way we are in our lives today. This also allows us to form opinions and views on many topics that appear in the newspaper and can be a topic of discussion when catching up with friends or with work colleagues.

I am grateful that this is freshly produced everyday and is an alternative if we don't have access to the internet or a television.

April 24th - Eau de toilette

April 24th
I am grateful for Eau de toilettes or fragranced aftershaves. I am grateful to have these to help with giving my body a more pleasant smell for many occasions.

I am grateful that there are many types for different people. I am grateful that this helps me with my personal presentation if I am going for a meeting, interview or party, whether formal, semi formal or casual.

I am grateful that it is easy to carry around for when I go away or to store on the shelf in my bathroom.

I am grateful that this can also double up as an aftershave and kill any germs or infections after shaving my face.

April 23rd - Cemeteries

April 23rd
I am grateful for cemeteries. At first this can be a place where you would not rather be when a loved one, family member or friends are buried and you say your last good byes before they are cremated or buried.

But I am grateful that there is such a place where we can go back and visit the grave site of a specific person and spend sometime thinking about them or having memories of them when there were living with us. Sometimes even talking to the grave as if there were there in person.

I am grateful that I am able to do this quite often. I am grateful that I am able to visit my grandparents and friends and remember the good times and the lessons I learnt from them and continue to live life more knowledgeable from their examples.

I am grateful that the cemetery I visit my grandparents in has lovely gardens and is very welcoming and peaceful.

April 22nd - Park lands

April 22nd
I am grateful for park lands. I am grateful that this land of space allow myself and many other to enjoy the outdoors and do many recreational activities.

I am grateful that this gives people a place to have peace and quiet, away from home or work and give them the time to think, unwind if necessary and re energise themselves in the fresh air.

I am grateful that these places are available for children and adults to play sports, have picnics and gatherings for birthday parties, reunions and barbecues.

I am grateful that many people like myself are able to do exercise routines here, such as going for walks, runs, jogs, sometimes with their dogs or other family members.

I am grateful that park lands are a place or enjoyment and peace away fro the busy live of the city and building areas.

April 21st - Air

April 21st
I am grateful for the air I breathe, I would literally be unable to live without it.

I am grateful that air or oxygen gives life, purifies my body and is a benefit to everyone.

I am grateful that many plants and trees are able to produce oxygen for life as well.

I am grateful that air can be altered to be hot or cold, giving the ability to dry things or cool them down.

April 20th - My Work Colleagues

April 20th
I am grateful for my work colleagues. I am grateful for the amount of help they give me, in all different aspects of my work.

I am grateful for the assistance they give me towards my work. I am grateful that we can all work together as a team to get the work done and show the care needed towards the residents and other staff members at work.

I am grateful for the emotional support we give each other. When one person is down or not coping well with work or outside of work, we pitch in and give emotional support, either lending a physical hand, a shoulder to cry on or taking the time to chat with others.

I am grateful for the laughs we have with each other. I am grateful for that we are not just colleagues but friends outside of work as well.

I am grateful that these people I work with are able to help me become a better person outside of work as well as imporving my work every day, helping me to learn to be better at what I do.

April 19th - Blinds and curtains

April 19th
I am grateful for blinds and curtains. I am grateful that they are able to block the sunlight coming in certain room or even help dim the lighting from outside if necessary.

I am grateful that this is a way I am able to block out people viewing inside my house either while I am inside or when I am away.

I am grateful for curtains as I am able to look outside, or get some sunshine and light from outside while yet again no one from outside can see in.

I am also grateful that certain designs make the room look nicer, and sometimes possibly making the room look smaller or bigger.

April 18th - Apples

April 18th
I am grateful for apples. I am grateful that they are a snack which I can have on the go and that is actually healthy.

I am grateful that they fill me up quickly when I am hungry, they are not hard to eat and apparently keeps the doctor away. I am grateful that they are cheap to buy and are available at supermarkets and fruit stores.

As I said before, I am grateful that they are able to fill me up when I am hungry, I can take them anywhere to eat, especially when I am rushing to a meeting or on my way to work.

I am grateful for its health benefits, even able to clean my teeth. :D - see how clear this guys smile is, must probably eat apples.

April 17th - Facial cream

April 17th
I am grateful for facial / body cream. I am grateful that this saves and reduces my skin from becoming dry, as it does quite quickly.

I am grateful that it clears scratches and sores quicker, as my skin does tend to bruise easily and take a long time to heal.

I am grateful that it keeps my skin feel healthy.

April 16th - Chewing gum

April 16th
I am grateful for chewing gum. This is a quick and easy item to get hold of that saves me and others really from my bad breath after eating strong smelling foods.

This also helps with freshening my breath even when I haven't got chewing gum as it as it increases saliva in my mouth, reducing dryness in my mouth resulting in bad breath. It's true, I saw it on a tv commercial.

I am grateful for this little item, it may not be a big thing but I am grateful that I am able to fresh breath after eating certain foods.

April 15th - Freeways

April 15th
I am grateful for freeways, especially the Monash freeway. I am grateful that it gets me to destinations, other suburbs and the city more directly and quicker that any other direction, other than during peak time hahaha (I know, I'm so funny)

I am grateful that this saves me a lot of time and petrol when getting to places for meeting, work or social events. I am grateful that it feels like a much safer way to drive and give me direction and signs to different suburbs.

April 14th - Ventolin

April 14th
I am grateful for my ventolin puffer. It is one of my much needed life savers from asthma.

I am grateful that this medication relieves me from shortness of breath and helps me to keep going on with the day, helping me breath easily when something in the environment effects me or even sometimes after physical activities.

This may be a short blog on this item of gratitude but it is very much needed and I feel a lot of gratitude for this little item of relief.

April 13th - Video games

April 13th
I am grateful for video games. I am grateful that video games are a form of entertainment, but I have found that they have helped me with completing tasks in real life.

Video games has helped me develop a sense of motivation and dedication to completing task which I would find difficult. Whenever I find a task difficult or not pleasant, I look back to my  younger days when I would zone into a Nintendo game and be adamant to getting to the end of the level. Like so, I would want to get to the end of the task successfully, just like in my video games. 

Yes, I would admit that it was a form of procrastination back then, but it helps me now to not give up on goals and tasks.

I am grateful that this also has helped me learn now to strive for great results in what ever I am doing, rather than just wanting to get to the end.

April 12th - Alcohol

April 12th
I am grateful for alcohol. There are two reaction I am waiting to hear from you, my friends and viewers, either "Hell yeah" or "Alcohol, really?".

I am grateful for alcohol as it is a relaxant. It is a form that relaxes me, this is why I would have a drink after work on a Friday. In the same sense, it is there for celebrations, on successes, personal or public.

I am grateful that alcohol can help me enjoy meals that I eat, either if it is a glass next to my plate, or it is added in the recipe of the meal. I am grateful that in both examples, in enhances the taste of the meal, and compliments it.

I am grateful that there are many types of alcohol to suit the event or celebration, or to suit individual taste as some people might prefer one form of alcohol from the other, such as beer, bourbon, whiskey, red wine, white wine or champagne.

April 11th - Sculptured Art

April 11th
I am grateful for art in general, but I am especially grateful for sculptured art. As I have just come back home from a sand sculpting exhibition, I am grateful that this form of art is entertaining, enjoyable and at the same time a great description of awesome.

I am grateful for the talent and amount of hard work people have put into each sand sculpture. The details in the artwork were phenomenal. And this got me thinking of other sculptures I have seen either in real life or via photos.

Some sculptures are hard to understand because they are abstract, but there is a story or a point in the specific sculpture, or even in the angle or the way you look at it will reveal the beauty of the art. Sometimes you will have to work it out. For this I am grateful that I am able to view it and enjoy this.

April 10th - Texters / Markers / highlighters

April 10th
I am grateful for texters, markers and highlighters. This is something I use every day without really paying attention to it. Without this, my organisational skills so low for the week with events, as well as bringing notice to important notes which I need or will refer to later.

I am grateful that I am able to use these to write down notes onto a whiteboard to help me organise events that are occurring throughout my week. I am grateful that I have these to boldly underline specific words, terms or items that need my attention in the near future as a reminder.

I am grateful for highlighters as they help highlight specific terms, quotes and paragraphs in my notes or in books which help me with research or references to my studies or to my life, which may be motivational, inspirational or important for a future item of interest.

April 9th - Heating

April 9th
I am grateful for heating at home, at work and in public buildings. Now that the cold is settling in, it is comforting to enter a building that can help rescue you from the cold weather outside if it is getting too much for you to handle.

I am grateful that I have heating at home, especially in the mornings. This makes it easier for me to wake up in the morning for work and get moving.

I am grateful that heating relaxes me and takes the chill out of the building, it helps me with work, it helps me concentrate that little bit more through out the day or specific time.

April 8th - Patience

April 8th
I am grateful for patience. This is patience in myself and patience from others. I am especially grateful for the patience from my wife. I am grateful for her patience with me when I need to understand something about life, about our marriage, about our relationship when we were dating or about issues outside of our relationship.

I am grateful for the patience of people in public areas. I am grateful for example when I especially see someone wait patiently while a new employee at Coles or Woolworths is learning how to use the cash register, without huffing and wanting to get out of the shops 10 seconds quicker.

I am grateful for people at work who are patient with me when I take time in doing a task or struggling to complete in quickly.

I am grateful that I have learnt how to be more patient with people, especially lately I feel I have gone to a new level of patience, with practise.

April 7th - Sincere Apologies

April 7th
I am grateful to those who sincerely apologise for something they have done to me and to others for something they have done, whether it is big or small.

I believe sincere apologies show that you care about the other person, it shows humility, you see them as a fellow human being, as an equal, not showing you are higher or lower than them for something you have done to them.

I am extremely grateful for people who have sincerely apologises to me for things they have done to me in the past or in the present. To me this shows you care for me as a person and you do not want to hurt me in any way now and in the future.

I accept your sincere apologies any day and am grateful for them all.

April 6th - My Life

April 6th
I am grateful for my life. I was wanting to leave this one till near the end of this 365 gratitude project, but I feel it is better now that later, as I may never know if I reach that later point in time.

I am grateful for so much in my life, whether it is the past, present and future. I am grateful that the lessons in my past, good and bad, are shaping me in the present, to live life happily for myself in the future.

I am grateful of the good past situations and memories as they bring a smile to my face and I can have a laugh with myself of past memories, sometimes able to relive those specific moment in my mind. I am also extremely grateful for the bad moments in my life. These moments are important, not as fuel to persevere in life, but rather to look back at bravely, and discover the underlying message and lesson within those bad moment. And I have learnt that all these moment have a lesson. Sometimes they are hard to discover but they are there.

I am grateful for my present and I see this is where I am. I am safe, secure, happy, because I am still alive. I may have a few scars, physically, mentally and emotionally, but I can say I am still alive from them. I can say, they are my merit badges. This is how I am

I am already grateful for my future, even though I do not know what will come of it, but what I do know is that I will continue learning from it, continue learning about myself, becoming more comfortable in my own skin and design. I am grateful of the challenges that I will face, so that when they become the past, I can say, I have been through it.

April 5th - My Computer

April 5th
I am grateful for personal computers. I am grateful that this form of technology makes life easier in many ways, whether it is regarding work or home life.

I am grateful that I am able to install programs such as Microsoft Office that helps digitally create documents to write letters or articles, professional looking presentations or spreadsheets. Or I can digitally enhance or view my photos.

I am able to used my computer to go onto the internet to check my emails or social media sites, do research from different websites or procrastinate (you do it, don't lie haha).

I am grateful that I am able to store most or all my digital files and work onto my computer, saving physical space at my home and workplace.

I am grateful that I am able to use my computer to entertain myself with saved and downloaded movies and music.

April 4th - Easter

April 4th
I am grateful for Easter. There are many things I am grateful for in this season. I am grateful that I get double pay during work, that I can catch up with my family for lunch and I can eat loads of chocolate and sweets. But mostly and importantly I am grateful for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I think the example that Jesus' steps towards his death on the Cross is something remarkable and motivational to mine and possibly many peoples lives today. I don't think it is necessary whether you are a believer of the faith or not, or if you believe the story of His death and resurrection or not.

Jesus had a mission and a message to all. And this message was listened to by all during his life. And many during His time had protested and disagreed against these messages and many things that He had said, hence why he was sentenced to death on a cross. I just imagined this being me, that I am Jesus. I would be absolutely besides myself, frightened and depressed.

Jesus knew he had many people on his side, listening and believing him, but he had just as many thinking the opposite. He knew what was going to happen to him, yet He did not run, He did not hide. He faced all the physical pain without begging to stop, and while He was being beaten with weapons he didn't go back on His word and saying he did not say this or that, or ask for forgiveness and ask to stop the torture. He kept His quiet right until He dies, after being nailed on the cross.

I am grateful for this example to my life today. To stand up for myself, my beliefs and what I am strongly passionate for if I believe it is correct, especially during times I am ganged up against, ridiculed and tested against my morals. This gives me motivation to do things in my life, whether big or small, that are positive to my life. And I can stick to it, especially when there are many who think I can't do it or that it's too hard, trying to persuade me to give up or laugh at my efforts. I am grateful that I am able to look to the examples of Jesus and refresh myself to keep going and working hard towards a positive life.

April 3rd - Anger

April 3rd
I am grateful for the emotion of anger. I am grateful that this emotion run through my mind and my body when applicable.

Usually people regard anger as a negative behaviour and emotion, and most of the time they are correct. But anger can actually be a great way for you to understand how you feel about a situation in your life. Yes, you are thinking 'duh, of course', but in a way this helps me understand what I am passionate about if things look like they are going wrong in front of you, or if something is not healthy in your life at that moment.

This helps me control and understand my anger towards life and to be more constructive with my life. I am grateful that this drives me to make wrongs into rights in my life.

I am grateful that I can constructively use anger in my exercise cardio routine. I can ponder about a situation which makes me angry and release that angry tension in my walking, jogging, running or cycling. I can also release it kicking a football or while playing tennis. For this I am grateful that anger can help give me that extra burst of energy in a positive way without physically, verbally or emotionally abusing anyone.

April 2nd - My imagination

April 2nd
I am grateful for my imagination. I am grateful that I am able to create scenarios, situations, characters, images, ideas etc, in my head, and if needed I can create it into reality.

I am grateful that my imagination can entertain me when I am bored, this can also distract me from reality. I just need to practice using this as a way to only de-stress myself, rather than procrastinate.

In saying this, my imagination can be destructive and cause me to think of bad scenarios, but with a bit of discipline and control, you can turn that negative thinking and destructive thinking onto something fruitful, sometimes towards reality. That's the beauty of your imagination, you have control.

If you feel you can't do something in reality, in your imagination, you can. For example, in reality I am not the best singer, but in my imagination, I am the greatest singer, able to sing scales of any range with ease.

I am grateful that I am able to use my imagination to do almost anything, sometimes I'm able to use it to motivate myself in reality.

April 1st - Silence

April 1st

I am grateful for silence. I don't mean the moment you tell someone to shut up. Or those moments of awkward silence. I mean silence where you can sit quietly by yourself, have time to think or meditate and be with yourself peacefully.

I am grateful that I am able to sit in silence whenever I want to. I could be in the car, at home or at work. If I need a few moments of silence by myself I can tune out to everything that is going on in the world and be in silence in my mind. You do have to tune into doing and and practise but when you get the hang of it, it is blissful and relaxing.

I am grateful that when I am in a state of silence and peace, I am refreshed and able to take on the world again. This also allows me to get myself together after a moment where something has gone wrong or you don't feel good about yourself, this give you time to reflect and say to yourself "ok, that has happened, let's get on with life.