In honor of Thanksgiving, I’m sharing 19 things I’m thankful for in 2019!

Hello there and happy Thanksgiving week to you! Am I the only one whose stomach kind of dropped a little when you realized Thanksgiving is already upon us? Because seriously. Where did the time go? November went by insanely fast.

Given that Thanksgiving has well and truly arrived, though, I thought I’d fully embrace the holiday and share a heartwarming somewhat cheesy post on what I’m thankful for this year. Granted the photos aren’t exactly the Pinterest autumn vibes I envisioned but you’ll have to forgive me. We’re in the week of Thanksgiving and somehow our leaves are still very much green here in Cincinnati. It’s bizarre. I don’t know what else to say. Onward to being thankful!

19 Things I’m Thankful for in 2019

Given that we’re *this close* to the end of the decade, I wanted to go really BIG for this year’s note of Thanksgiving. That’s why I’m sharing 19 things I’m thankful for in 2019 rather than my usual two or three.

I know 2019 has been a difficult year for many and I’d be lying if I didn’t say it had its challenging parts for me as well. But, what’s beautiful about the holiday of Thanksgiving is its here to remind us to forget about what’s gone wrong and instead be grateful for the blessings we do have.

Be it big or small, I wager we all have something  to be grateful for this year and I hope my list of 19 things I’m thankful for in 2019 will help give you some food for thought as we head into Thanksgiving day.

1. My Good Health and Pain Free Existence

I always choose health as my #1 because I truly feel so fortunate to be healthy. Good health is something I hope never to take for granted. I also am incredibly grateful to be living a pain-free existence. That wasn’t always the case and when I think back on this decade, I spent a good chunk of it living with chronic pain. The fact that I finally found the right doctors and got to this better place is something I appreciate every single day.

2. Peaceful Vacations

This year, I’ve been fortunate enough to take several really wonderful vacations. Not only were they nice changes of scenery, but they also delivered memories I’ll cherish for years to come with friends and family. The older I get the more I realize it’s the people around you that are are important and I’m so glad I was able to enjoy traveling with loved ones this year.

3. Hallmark Christmas Movies

I know, it seems silly to say I love these so much but I really do! The world is filled with so much darkness. I’ll find myself reading the news at the end of the day and starting to feel really down. Then, I flip on the Hallmark channel and it’s around the clock Christmas movies that are just plan HAPPY. They remind me that we should all be more kind to one another in our day-to-day lives and celebrate joy wherever we can.

4. Dogs

My favorite thing to do when I’ve had a hard day? Spend time with dogs and/or scroll social media looking at darling photos and videos of dogs. They’re just phenomenal sentient beings that I think we could all learn a lot from!

5. The Inspiring Women Around Me

I feel fortunate to know and have so many strong, courageous and hard-working women in my life.

6. Family Time

It sounds cliche, but family time really is so important. Similar to health it’s also an area I think we often overlook and take for granted. I’m grateful for the memories I’ve made with family this year.

7. The Disappointments

Maybe an odd one to include, but I’m really grateful for the handful of disappointments I’ve had this year. I’ve really learned a lot from them!

8. Positive Changes at Work

I ended 2018 feeling really low and burnt out. On New Year’s Eve, I promised myself I wouldn’t end up there again this year and I’m happy to say things have definitely improved! Some things in my work life have changed for the better all around, but I’ve also learned that I can’t drive myself into the ground.

9. Mad Men Reruns

I miss this show OH so much but I’m also greatly enjoying rewatching it on Netflix. I’m really taking my time with each episode because the show’s attention to detail is quite impressive. Mad Men is such a brilliantly written and constructed show. It’s both beautiful and tragic. Somehow, I think I’m enjoying the show even more the second time around — which I honestly didn’t think was possible.

10. Plant-Based Butter (And Increasing Dairy/Meat Free Options)

Ha, weird — but I’m incredibly thankful that Earth Balance Vegan Butter exists. It makes holiday baking so incredibly easy! This will be my third Thanksgiving following a plant-based diet. People who aren’t plant-based ask me all the time how I do it because they think it would be hard…but I gotta say, it really isn’t that hard these days. In fact, it seems to get easier by the day as people gain more and more awareness to animal agriculture’s big role in climate change.

11. Goodbyes

Another thing that comes with age I think is realizing that sometimes a goodbye really is for the best. A goodbye doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out thing either. It can be as simple as knowing you need to move in a different direction and parting ways.

12. Dolly Parton

I’ve familiarized myself with the Dolly Parton catalog on Spotify quite a bit this year and I think I’m a better woman because of it.

13. Sunsets and Sunrises

Obviously on my travels this year I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some beautiful coastal sunsets and sunrises – but even back home in Cincinnati I’ve found myself stopping to appreciate them. The way the sky changes is proof that magic is real, if you ask me anyway.

14. The Calm App

I feel like I talk about my love of The Calm app at every opportunity I can, but it really is a life saver.

15. Clean Drinking Water

In 2019, this is something I wish was a given for everyone — but sadly that just is not the case.

16. Podcasts

While I haven’t been that much of a reader this year and struggle to pay attention to audiobooks, Podcasts have been my go-to in 2019. I’ve always listened to marketing podcasts (Gary Vee is hands down the best) but I’ve also enjoyed really branching out this year. I love the new Amelia Liana podcast “What I Know Now”. There have also been some really great true crime ones I’ve come across.

17. How Connected We Are

I know technology has its downsides and it’s always good to have a digital detox, but do you ever think about how connected we are these days? It’s phenomenal. Someone can post something in China and you in the States can see it a second later. We have video chats, Whats App, social media, the list goes on. It’s really quite something.

18. The Little Things

I started a gratitude journal last year and while I admittedly am not the best at keeping up with it on a daily basis, it has shown me how special the little things are. The other day I was driving home from work and saw the most majestic Buck at sunset. He honestly took my breath away! Today I had such a nice walk outside and after days of gray skies, it felt great to feel the sun shining on my face.

19. You, The Reader

Of course I couldn’t share a list of 19 things I’m thankful for in 2019 without mentioning Dream in Lace and YOU specifically for reading this post. There’s truly something about creating content for this corner of the internet that fills my cup up. It means so much to me to have you here! While so many content creators are gravitating to Instagram these days, I really still love reading and creating long-form posts like this one. Sincerely, thank you for taking the time to read what I share. It means the world. xo

What Are You Thankful for This Thanksgiving?

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Kelly

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