November Challenge Introduction

I must apologize that I haven't posted anything in a few months. As I shared with you in August, I had West Nile and was very sick for a few weeks. I was still writing posts during this time and I intended to post these lessons, but ended up feeling I needed to take some time to reflect on my purpose for posting these lessons. So while I do have some lessons from this time, I will not be posting these lessons and will be ending the year on a different note. In my time away from Lessons, I have thought about two challenges that I think would be beneficial for me to complete in the next two months. I will be introducing each challenge a few days before I actually start it so that you will have an opportunity to join me in the challenge if you want. The first challenge starts November 1st.

November is only a few days away and presents us with a reminder that we are blessed and should be thankful for our blessings. Thanksgiving is typically the time when we remember to give thanks, but there are so many blessings that I think it would be good to make November a month of intentional gratitude. There are a few different ideas about how you can complete this challenge, but I decided to keep the requirements flexible so more people would be able to complete this challenge without feeling confined to someone else's ideas. For this challenge you will write about something you are grateful for (a suggested list of items is compiled below) and then you have the option of sharing your thankfulness through a picture of the item or a post on a social media site. The main goal is that each day you would be intentionally grateful for some aspect of your life. Sharing the things you are grateful for is recommended because it encourages the people around you to be grateful too.

The following is a list of items that you can choose to be intentionally grateful for. This list is a compilation of a few lists I found on Pinterest.
1. Your home
2. Nature
3. Something you see everyday
4. Something you do everyday
5. Transportation
6. Hobbies
7. Work
8. Family and Friends
9. Technology
10. Quiet
11. Noise
12. Texture
13. Smells
14. Color
15. Music
16. Something that makes you laugh
17. Something that makes you smile
18. Something that fills you with hope
19. Something that fills you with love
20. Something you accomplished today
21. Passion
22. Purpose
23. Peace
24. Intention
25. Movement
26. Stillness
27. Kindness
28. Letting go
29. Self-care
30. Myself
31. A person
32. A role you've played
33. A place
34. An experience
35. A talent you have
36. Failure
37. Words
38. A photo
39. A memory
40. Something you were taught
41. An opportunity
42. An ability
43. A blessing
44. An annoyance
45. Something you own
46. A room
47. A choice
48. A book
49. Something about someone you love
50. Something that you take for granted
51. An expectation
52. Something you've seen
53. A physical trait
54. Knowledge
55. Criticism you have receieved
56. A simple pleasure

This list contains items that you wouldn't necessarily think about being grateful for, but I encourage you to explore each item on the list as part of a deeper experience of self. An annoyance, such as a red light, might have prevented you from a terrible accident at the next intersection and is therefore something to be grateful. Something that many of us take for granted is nourishment through food and drink, but is something we should be grateful for everyday. I hope that you decide to participate in this challenge with me and I look forward to reading what you are grateful for in your own life.