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100 Things to Be Thankful For - with blessings large and small, this list of small gratitudes is sure to make you smile and might inspire you to write a "thankfulness" list of your own!

Happy Thanksgiving! In the 4th grade, my homeroom teacher assigned our class to write down 100 things for which we were thankful, and I’ve repeated the exercise everything Thanksgiving since. Back in 2013, I published my “Thankfulness List” here on the blog, and it was so uplifting to be able to share it and to hear from you that I’ve published it every year since.

Truth time: every year I think about not writing this list. The week leading up to Thanksgiving is categorically hectic. The nagging, doubting voice inside my head also likes to insist that no one will notice if I skip it.

Then another, stronger voice reminds me that if I can’t take some extra time to express gratitude on Thanksgiving, it’s time to reprioritize.

It doesn’t matter if anyone reads this list or not. It matters that I write it.

But, guess what? YOU ARE READING IT, and it makes me SO HAPPY. Let’s pretend that we are all squeezed together at a big table filled with our favorite sides. We can go around in a circle, and each of us can share something for which we are thankful this year. Deal?

I’ll go first.

Thank you for keeping me accountable and for allowing me to share these blessings with you year after year. If you’d like to share one of your blessings (I LOVE YOU PLEASE DO), you can leave it in the comments section below the post.


2017 Thankfulness List

1. My smart, sexy, fun-loving, hardworking, dish-washing husband, Ben. He inspires me to be the best version of myself, knows me better than anyone on this earth, and loves me anyway.

^^He also read this list in advance and wanted me to tone down the adjectives, which I flatly refused to do. Author’s prerogative.

Erin and Ben Clarke standing near a lake

2. My two younger sisters, whom I am blessed to call my best friends.

Erin Clarke and her two sisters in colorful dresses

3. My parents, especially my dad, whom we lost too soon.

4. My wonderful grandparents. I was blessed to grow up with all four of them and to have all of them with me into adulthood.

5. My grammy, who first taught me to bake and whom I still look forward to calling every week.

6. My in-laws, who love and care for me like a daughter and a sister, and whom I truly love too.

7. My wonderful group of Milwaukee girlfriends. We’ve been friends two years, and I can’t image life in this city without them.

8. Being able to wake up every morning and know that, no matter how mundane my tasks are that day, I’m pursing a career I truly love.

9. Related: the internet.

10. My furry coworker: TEDDY.

Teddy "helping" with laptop work

11. My health.

12. Inspiring teachers.

13. Ben’s extended family, all of whom are so welcoming and fun.

14. My sweet niece Genevieve.

15. My stepdad and stepbrothers and sister.

16. Holiday meals that leave you reaching for your stretchy pants (one of which will be happening today!).

17. The opportunity to travel. Since January, I’ve been to Italy, Paris, Israel, Utah, Hawaii, and a dozen other cities in between. Each experience has impacted me in its own unique way, and I am beyond grateful.

Sunrise at Haleakalā Volcano in Maui Hawaii

18. Our warm home.

19. Any and every time someone makes one of my recipes.

20. Access to clean water.

21. My new brother-in-law. Welcome to the family, Joey! Seriously: HOW CUTE ARE THEY??

Elaine and Joey Kansas City Wedding

22. Customer service representatives who are actually helpful.

23. Discovering a new wine that costs $7 but tastes like $17.

24. Podcasts (latest favorite: How I Built This).

25. When you are waiting for your bag at the airport and it comes out right away.

26. My education.

27. The free birthday drink at Starbucks.

28. Pulling off a successful feat of parallel parking, especially if someone else actually witnesses it.

29. Street food. Throughout my travels, this has been one of my favorite (and most enjoyable) ways to get to know a culture.

30. Finding an extra $5 in your jeans pocket.

31. Showers with strong water pressure.

32. When the restaurant offers you a free appetizer while you wait for your table.

33. Sunsets, especially over the lake in Ben’s parents’ backyard.

Lake sunset in Wisconsin

34. The smell of freshly baked bread.

35. The taste of freshly baked bread.

36. Particularly delicious butter.

37. Game nights.

38. Friendsgiving.

39. Finding an old photo.

40. Short lines at the grocery store checkout.

41. When you drive by a police car while driving a little over the speed limit…and the officer does not pull you over.

42. Birthday cake…and birthday chocolate chip cookie cake.

43. Early morning walks with Teddy.

44. Sturdy coffee mugs.

45. My cookbook collection.

46. Comfy, oversized sweatshirts.

47. Warm, toasty wool socks (these lightweight wool ones are especially amazing).

48. Hilarious group texts.

49. Power naps.

50. Football tailgates.

51. Rainy days when you were secretly hoping to stay inside anyways.

52. Uber, Lyft, and other shared ride options.

53. Trader Joe’s dark chocolate salted almonds (and the dark chocolate peanut butter cups too).

54. Farm-to-Table Dinners…especially ones on the farm. How cool is that?

Braise restaurant local farm dinner outside of Milwaukee, WI

55. A warm bowl of oatmeal on a chilly morning.

56. The clean, fresh scent of the air after it rains.

57. My dishwasher.

58. ’90s sing-a-longs.

59. Sleeping on freshly washed sheets.

60. Silly dancing, especially at weddings.

61. Homemade pizza.

Naan Pizza with Strawberry, Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese. Our favorite way to grill pizza! Quick, easy, healthy, and so delicious. Recipe at wellplated.com | @wellplated

Strawberry Naan Pizza

62. Also, delivery pizza.

63. The sound of the ocean.

64. Puffy white clouds that float across blue skies.

65. Hitting every green light on the way to your destination.

66. Anytime someone else washes the dishes.

67. Bouquets of flowers.

68. The opportunity to play tour guide when friends come to visit.

69. A good night’s sleep.

70. Free wifi.

71. Beat-up, worn-in pairs of boots.

72. Good hair days.

73. Staying up too late talking with best friends.

74. Farmers market hauls.

Food Blogger Erin Clarke from the healthy seasonal food blog Well Plated by Erin

75. Books so engaging, they keep you turning the pages far past bedtime.

76. Instagram stories. I love seeing little behind-the-scenes moments in friends’ lives.

77. Puns. The worse, the better!

78. Coffee dates.

79. Laughing until my stomach hurts.

80. Running outside.

81. Road trips.

82. Having access to health care.

83. Green smoothies that make me feel like a well-nourished superhero.

84. My grammy’s apple pie.

85. Every lost object I’ve ever found. This is a daily occurrence.

86. When the seat beside you on the plane is empty. Score!

87. When the seat beside you on the plane isn’t empty, but the person turns out to be incredibly cool, and you make a new friend, if only for a few hours.

88. The crunch of fall leaves underneath my boots.

89. A cool breeze on a hot day.

90. Cheeseboards (and pretty much any dish or recipe that’s super easy but makes me feel fancy).

Erin Clarke, creator of wholesome recipes at the food and travel blog Well Plated by Erin

 

91. Flip-flop weather.

92. Cute old couples holding hands.

93. The stars in a clear night sky.

94. Camping trips.

95. Silly moments that make you feel like a kid (favorite example: when Ben and I spent an afternoon riding waterslides).

96. Christmas movies. Favorites: Love Actually (of course), The Holiday, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause, It’s a Wonderful Life…and so many more.

97. Potluck dinners.

98. An unexpected phone call from a friend, just to say hi.

99. Book/wine club.

And, today and every day,

  1. YOU!

THANK YOU. My blog would not and could not exist as it does without your support. Thank you for being here, for allowing me to do what I love, for making my recipes, for sharing them with friends, and for making it to the bottom of this blog post. I am deeply grateful to be able to do what I love every day, and I truly could not if it were not for you.♥

Torn between pumpkin pie and pecan pie this Thanksgiving? Make this easy recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Pie for the best of both!

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Now, let’s go eat some pie. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

In case you were wondering….

  • As a practice, I don’t go back and reread old lists before writing the new ones, and if you slip down a Thankfulness List rabbit hole and read through a few, you’ll see overlap. I don’t mind. I hope I never lose gratitude for my blessings large and small, and if that means writing them year after year, all the better.
  • These points are in no particular order. Some are silly, some are serious, and all are sincere.

Thankfulness Lists from Other Years:

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

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20 Comments

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  1. Hi Erin! I like reading this list of yours every year. I’m certainly thankful for a lot of the same things (especially help with the dishes lol). Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving! <3

  2. I love that so many of the things on your list are actually small items that sometimes get lost in the shuffle.
    We all need to appreciate each and every thing we have…I sure do. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and certainly we’ll all enjoy the side dishes! I made a pear and ginger upside down cake for dessert and it looks so beautiful – I’ve never made a cake like this before and am so proud of myself. Can diet tomorrow, huh?

  3. Erin, as usual I love your list.  So many of your blessings are the same as mine!  Number one is my husband, who is faithful and loving, even though I’m me.  I think we are #92 on your list.  We are in our 70s and still hold hands – probably always will.  Travel, good food, good beer, new adventures, our volunteer work at our local state park are all amazing blessings.  I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful.

  4. Happy Thanksgiving Erin. 
    You made me think that so many of us are thankful for many of the same things while others are blind about what’s really important. 
    Enjoy your blessings today and for the rest of the next year. I look forward to new recipes and enjoying your insights as they come along. 

  5. I love this post, particulary # 2 (you all look freakishly alike!), #22, 31,32, 34, 35, 36, 44, and 49!

  6. Yes, there are a lot of things to be thankful for! Enjoyed reading your list. I’m going to try this. Not sure I can reach 100 but I’ll find out.

  7. I wanted to time this time to say thank you. I am a diabetic. My blood sugar was always on the high side , matter how hard I tried to lower it . But with the help of your recipes I lowered to the low side. Thank you . I guess that is what I am thankful for and for someone like you that make great recipes simple and taste wonderful. Keep up the great work. Thank you again
    Happy happy Thanksgiving

    1. Thank YOU for this incredibly kind comment, Jan! You made my day! I’m so happy my recipes have been helpful for you!