50 Things I'm Grateful For at Fifty

Fifty things I'm grateful for on my 50th birthday (in no particular order):

1. My independence.
2. My amazing, kind, creative and resilient daughter.
3. Our dogs, Mouse and Scout.
4. That Mouse is no longer on palliative care, thanks to his food, lots of love and a low dose of steroids.
5. My favourite sister. I'm grateful she's always been there for me - even when things have been difficult between us.
6. Our new place to live, it's quiet and safe, and has more than enough room for our family.
7. My car, I love that it's a hybrid and the hatchback is great for changing in when it's raining after a dip.
8. A daily practice of writing in my gratitude journal before bed.
9. My two nieces, who are loving, grateful and joyful. I love watching them compete in dance.
10. My phone for photographing the sunrise and the aurora borealis.
11. Being a three minute drive from Departure Bay Beach and eight minutes from Piper's Lagoon.
12. Our dipping community and all of the interesting personalities that come with it.
13. Swimming in the ocean daily.
14. My ability to read and my desire to learn about new things.
15. Teaching kids at the AFN (Francophone Association of Nanaimo).
16. My private tutoring clients.
17. Mild winters and early spring.
18. My parents, who chose to marry each other and never gave up on having children, even though it took them seven years to get pregnant.
19. Having a family doctor and a pediatrician for my daughter.
20. Living on Vancouver Island. 
21. Being bilingual in English and French.
22. Sleeping in my king size bed with my dogs.
23. Residual income from my USANA business, something I haven't been actively building in almost four years.
24. My friends back east, including my BFF of more than 30 years who makes an effort to keep in touch regularly.
25. A comfortable loveseat to sit and watch TV, while cuddling with my dogs.
26. A view of the horizon.
27. A fridge full of food, a stocked pantry and a small chest freezer with extra meals.
28. To be AuDhD like my daughter. It allows me to better understand how difficult it is for her to navigate the world and we can laugh at all of the autism and ADHD quirks we have.
29. My daily dose of USANA vitamins that nourish my cells and helps keep inflammation at bay.
30. A nearby Costco where we do our grocery shopping.
31. My Vitamix and a new blender container that was gifted to me by a stranger on Facebook a few weeks ago.
32. Fun, friendly competition playing Boggle on Netflix with my kiddo.
33. A school that is supportive of my daughter's needs.
34. Autism funding that pays for her support needs outside of school.
35. A cleaner that comes bi-weekly to help us care for our home.
36. My tablet that I use for work and watching my favourite shows on CBC Gem.
37. Our local loaves & fishes food pantry.
38. My commitment to sending a daily sunrise photo and gratitude quote by email.
39. Extended health care benefits thanks to my ex-husband.
40. Clean, filtered, fresh water from every tap on our home.
41. A team of wellness practitioners that help me manage my chronic pain and mental health.
42. Creating a sunrise calendar every year since 2021 and selling over 150 yearly.
43. Organizations like Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo that have provided us with dozens of resources.
44. Live streaming on Twitch, on my own channel Aur0ra99.
45. Being able to take time to do a puzzle.
46. Having a YouTube channel and a Facebook account to share my thoughts, photos and videos.
47. A deep soaker tub.
48. My favourite mobile TCG Marvel Snap.
49. Time each day to rest and recover, without feeling guilty.
50. My faith and my belief that everything is working out in my greatest and highest good.