This project has taught me a significant amount about appreciation for the small things. There are items that we use every single day that we don’t even think about yet they play such a huge role in our lives. Prior to this year, I never really thought about most of these things as anything more than an item I had around the house. They were useful sure, but you don’t know the true value until you live without. So, on this Valentine’s Day, here are ten items that you should take a moment to appreciate!

10. Drinks

I drink water. I have some water flavourers and I have coffee. But otherwise, I drink water. It’s a crucial part of our lives – but damn does it get boring! Tea, lattes, milkshakes, juices, pop, coconut water, milk (chocolate!), protein drinks, smoothies, tomato juice, vodka, beer, wine etc… We have so much free will to drink something different to meet our desires at that given moment. We don’t even think about it, we just get it… give some thanks for whatever you’re sipping on right now!

9. Medication

When we get sick, life goes on… we still need to go to work, walk the dog, meet friends for coffee, go on dates, pick up the dry cleaning… life doesn’t stop when we don’t feel well – it goes on, and unless we want to be left behind we pop a daytime cold pill, or cough syrup or something else to mask the effects and allow us to function. It’s a miracle we have something like that at our disposal.

8. Bed

A bed is such a comfort. Waking up and stepping down to the floor is a powerful feeling. I’ve been sleeping on the floor, and it means mornings I have to literally ‘get up’ not just ‘wake up’. Show some love for the comfort of a soft bed, with nice sheets and a blanket… because once you’ve experienced life without for longer than a camping trip, you’ll realize just how fortunate you are.

7. Microwave

1 minute and you have a warm meal. That’s it. How are we not praising these items as gods?! Yes you can warm food with a pan or oven,  but it doesn’t do it evenly, it burns the exterior and the interior remains cold. A microwave is so under appreciated so go give it a clean (I know you haven’t done it recently!).

6. Paper Products

Toilet paper aside, because I can’t imagine living without that… but a soft tissue to blow your nose into, a paper towel to clean up a spill, a pad of paper to jot down some notes… they are so crucial to our lives yet do we every really pay them any mind? Yes I know paper products can’t sense your appreciation… but this post is all about realizing the amazing things we have around us.

5. Light

Think about the world we live in… our entire existence is about getting out of the dark. Lights on cars, street lights, night lights, pot lights, candles, flash lights, cellphone screens, the glow of the television… light is the absence of dark and in the dark, our mind can play tricks on us. Lack of light renders our most commonly used sense (sight) ineffective… so, while you can’t see the stars in big cities, you should appreciate all the light the city offers.

4. Chairs

This is #4 for good reason. I never expected it to be the case. I miss having somewhere to sit more than I miss the above 6 things… sitting on the floor is okay, but it’s terribly uncomfortable, terribly painful on the knees, and generally just not the best place to sit down. A chair gets you off the ground, it helps with posture, it puts your body in a comfortable position… it’s just such a necessity to our lives! Appreciate every seat you have!

3. Food

For obvious reasons this is a big one. I’ve mentioned it a few times, but even if you’re not religious saying ‘thank you’ for living in a place that has ample food is a nice thing to do daily. Special appreciation for spices, sauces and other items that aren’t truly necessary but make food exciting to eat.

2. Choices

Freedom, and choice is something we in Canada, the US and many other countries in the world take for granted. If you want to go to the local bar to get a drink you can. If you want to pick up some tofu and it’s 1AM, you can. If you wanted to take a class, you can. If you want to paint your apartment you can. Our ability to choose to do whatever we want to do – and often the choices we have available to us, is something we may be used to but someone else is probably wishing for just a taste of that choice. Be thankful for every choice you make in a day.

1. Privacy

This one is interesting. As a blogger/social media guy/podcaster prior to this year privacy is something a lot of us forfeit a little of when we get involved in the social media world. But we can still shut down and hide and do things in private. While I can still do things privately now, I can certainly feel the effects of sharing my every day life with your guys on my mind. It’s something small,  but my choice to forfeit some more of my privacy than normal (sharing pictures of my apartment, doing videos of myself) has certainly caused some panic. I woke up from a nightmare a couple days ago in a cold sweat because I realized I’ve given out my address to everyone… I’m not saying it will happen – but theoretically, someone could just come by and look into my place at any time and the thought scares me.

Appreciate the fact that as open as you can be online, you can also have private life that no one can ever step into without your explicit permission. TAKE YOUR PRIVACY SERIOUSLY! In a world that is becoming increasingly social, transparent and open… privacy is certainly becoming more of a luxury than normality – so appreciate it!

Bonus: PEOPLE!

Never take people in your life for granted. Online, offline, family, friends, enemies, coworkers, lovers, etc… the people in your life are so valuable and quite frankly, you wouldn’t be anything without them. Take a second to thank someone today for your relationship with them no matter what it is… it’s something small, but it really is something we don’t do enough of.

That said, thank you! This is a generic thank you to everyone reading, but I want you all to know how much I do appreciate your support, you reading, you commenting, you following, you hating, you loving, you sharing… I really appreciate every single one of you people – even those I don’t know personally. Thank you!

photo credit: || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL || paul bica opensourceway edkohler cc