It’s easy to get wrapped up in worries, work and whatever else takes up our time and not stop for a moment to appreciate what we have. You guys know I’m usually complaining about this or the other so today, I will just share the five things I’m grateful for this year.

1. Good health. Until you visit a hospital or medical facility, you may not fully appreciate the gift of life and ability to wake up each morning and go about your day with ease. No pain, no life threatening disease or ailment to worry about. Millions of people are sick, some with untreatable conditions and others just waiting to die.

It seems like every year, a new cancer is "discovered” and it takes years of research to get a cure, if one can even be found. So, I’m glad I’m healthy. 

2. My simple life. Many times, we wish we had fancy lives and all this money so we could buy anything our riches could accord us and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. However with all those luxuries come complexities.

Yes you may be able to fly First Class to Dubai, Melbourne and the Bahamas in the same week but that also means you have to forgo certain things. You may not believe this but some rich folks long for "normal” lives. That’s probably because having money in itself is not enough.

You have to think of ways to sustain your wealth and "grow’ your money. Investment decisions can be stressful and to be honest, I wouldn’t want to be the one to decide which stocks to buy only to watch the shares tumble months later. In my simple world, all I have to worry about is rent, food, transport and a small stipend for emergencies.

3. Good weather. It’s snowing in most of Europe. Hurricanes have destroyed homes and left many dead in Mexico, the US and The Philippines. Australians have to deal with uncontrollable fires every year plus lots of other natural disasters. I’m grateful our weather is mild compared to some of these places. 

4. My friends and family. I was reading about a US veteran who passed away and his employers couldn’t trace a single family member to receive his body. People in the community where he used to live and others who heard about his story eventually turned for his funeral but none of them knew him. Not that I have a death wish but I’m glad I have relatives and families who care about me.

5. I can dream I had the opportunity to choose my own career path and pretty much what I want to do with my life. There are still millions of girls who can’t go to school, women who aren’t allowed to work, date or choose their own partners, dress however they want, drive and all those things many of us take for granted.

My hope is that eventually, those trapped in such communities eventually get to experience freedom in every sense of the word. That’s what I’m most thankful for.

What are you thankful for?