I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of gratitude. But like most folks, the past nine months of the pandemic have challenged my resolve in many ways. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety, despair and anger about the upending of just about everything we once took for granted.

I sometimes feel like Alexander from the award-winning book by Judith Viorst. So far, 2020 has been what that character would call a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year!” So while I was skeptical when a friend suggested I take the “Gratitude Challenge,” I resolved to practice what I preach and dig in.

There are two ways to take the Gratitude Challenge. One is to consider your life and list the big things you’re most grateful for this year (yes, even given the pandemic!). The other is to pick a single day and pay close attention to everything -- large and small -- and note all the things you’ve been overlooking that actually are things that can go on your gratitude list.

Since my guess is that gratitude, like misery, loves company, I asked several friends and clients to join me. I’m sharing our lists with all of you.

Mother of 3 is grateful for:

· My health and the health of my family

· The privilege of living in a democracy and having the right to VOTE

· Settling into my new home and enjoying safe and contained outdoor space

· Having my daughter at home for the year as she starts her career

· A COVID-safe plan for Thanksgiving so my two sons can come safely home for the holiday

· Having exercise equipment in my home so I can practice self-care

· A wide circle of family and friends who help me feel connected despite the separation

· A partner who loves me

· Technology that has allowed me to stay connected to family, friends and clients

· The CALM app’s “Sleep Stories,” which are helping me fall asleep every night

Father of 4 is grateful for:

· A renewed appreciation for the value of thankfulness itself

· Time to ponder important questions, such as “What value have I provided myself? What value have I provided for others?

· The grace to transform complaints (“Stop always doing things for me!”) into graceful requests (“Thanks for offering to help, but I’d like to do this on my own.”)

· How gratitude and its attendant blessings are enabling me to create a happier and brighter future for myself and those around me

· My ever-beating heart!

· Blessings of taking a step back, looking within and being unconditionally thankful for everyone and everything in my life

Mother of 1 is grateful for:

· Being invited to take the Gratitude Challenge!

· That my high-risk child, who typically gets sick often, has not been sick in 10 months -- and is thriving and growing

· My husband, who gets to work from home thus minimizing our risk of exposure to the virus

· A safe and caring pediatrician and office staff that makes it possible to continue with my son’s routine healthcare

· Our son’s school, which is providing materials and lessons so we can home-school to keep him safe

· A partner who loves to cook and, more importantly, cooks healthy and delicious food

· A grassy area and pool in our backyard so our son and dog have plenty of room to play

· My supportive women’s group, which is helping me work through past and current trauma, especially during this time of uncertainty

· Zoom! This platform allowed my son’s class to stay connected last year and allowed me to see friends and family before we knew it was safe to wear masks and socially distance

· Lastly, I’m very grateful I live in a state where most people are wearing masks and doing their part to keep themselves -- and others -- safe

Father of 3 is grateful for:

· How the pandemic has lowered my expectations of myself and enabled me to appreciate much more in my life, focusing less on achievement and more on what’s positive

· Despite the rise in COVID cases -- and knowing full well we have a lot of work to do in the years ahead -- I am tremendously grateful to have been born in the US and am raising my family here

· The city of Chicago and its beautiful and colorful seasons, as well as its relative safety from climate crises so many other American cities are experiencing

· Remote learning opportunities for my children

· What I suspect will be a hunger for opportunity the pandemic will awaken in the generation of children growing up now (I’d love to hire a kid from this generation in the future!)

· COVID-induced digital fatigue and boredom that encouraged my 7-year-old to build elaborate structures with blocks and dominoes…my 11-year-old to learn how to play the kalimba…and my 14-year-old to spend great quality time with me playing classic video games from the 80s!

· Acknowledging that in these tough times, everyone is entitled to have rough days

· The conviction that we will get through this -- no matter what it takes

Father of 2 is grateful for:

· The luxury to calmly contemplate and formally compose this list

· My health…and the health of my loved ones

· Our ability and means to be home and together

· Eating nourishing food -- with my family around the table

· Living in a peaceful town, surrounded by natural beauty and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods

· The tireless and fearless work of honest journalists who inform us of the ugly injustices in the world and moves people to make a difference

Mother of 2 is grateful for:

· An alarm clock with a snooze button…and a man I love in bed next to me

· The gift of breath

· Rugs on a cold bathroom floor

· Hybrid schooling for my teenage daughter, providing just enough social contact with her friends to keep her sane

· The “Keep Going On Song” performed by Goeke and Staton-Marrero

· Worthy work I can do from home, which also gives me the flexibility to take a morning walk with my husband and then linger on the front steps with Louie, our neighborhood cat

· A choice of clothes to wear, although I’m mostly wearing what I wore yesterday (and may wear tomorrow, too!)

· Food to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner -- especially chocolate cake

· More than enough of everything we need to keep our household and our home going

· My teen being willing to be hugged by both parents when she got home from school and volleyball today

· Harry Potter books, reading glasses and the time to enjoy a few otherworldly pages

So…are you ready to take the Gratitude Challenge? Give it a try. BONUS…you can count it as an act of self-care, which we know if even more critical during a pandemic.