1. Autosave, which incidentally didn’t help at all when I wrote the first draft of this bloody blog post.
2. Being invited to a friend’s Thanksgiving dinner despite the family never having met me. Her parents seemed to think I’m mostly normal.
3. My large and supportive family who’s always there when you need them. I’m sorry I couldn’t bet here for Aunt Mildred’s funeral this week.
4. People like my friend Hasan who put up a classifieds ad inviting strangers to his home for Thanksgiving dinner.
5. My friends Maggie and Steve who have basically adopted me in my time of need.
6. Travel planning for 2017. Honduras? Costa Rica? Belize? Who knows!
7. A cold beer at a sidewalk cafe in Europe. Preferably at sunset.
8. Mornings that start with a cup of coffee and a good book.
9. Rereading the Harry Potter series and falling in love all over again.
10. People who still care about art rather than just website traffic.
11. My family, who despite never travelling, seems mostly okay with me doing so.
12. Having low maintenance hair.
13. The sound of a child’s laughter quiet disposition.
14. Blankets, kittens, fireplaces, cups of tea, and snow. All at once.
15. The sound your snowshoes make on freshly fallen snow.
16. Working in the local arts community.
17. Having a job where I am respected and valued for my output.
18. Used bookstores.
19. The confidence I earned when living abroad.
20. Good food, good wine, good friends.
21. Sunsets. All of them, everywhere.
22. Beaches with white powder sand.
23. Not having to ever partake in the Hunger Games.
24. The man in Syria who takes care of all the abandoned cats, in a war zone.
25. The White Helmets.
26. Crème brûlée and tiramisu. Sometimes at once.
27. That warm, fuzzy ache you get in your chest whenever you hear fiddle music poring out of a bar.
28. Singing loudly and terribly.
29. Receiving emails from fellow travellers telling me I’ve inspired them in some way.
30. Books that make me cry (and yes, that includes every Harry Potter book).
31. Regular pay checks.
32. Growing up on the most beautiful island on the planet, even if it’s only suitable for habitation half the year.
33. My own two legs that carried me across Spain.
34. The freedom to travel.
35. The privilege to travel.
36. Receiving handwritten postcards and letters in the mail.
37. Dogs. Yes, I said it.
38. The smell of Atlantic brine; the sound of those crashing waves.
39. Sailing in the Mediterranean. Seafood on the beach; sunset on the yacht.
40. Fleece pyjamas.
41. My friends, who seem to love me despite all my bullshit.
42. Stumbling across photos of old flames and not giving a shit.
43. The fact that Bella the cat has found a new home with my family, and despite much resistance, my family is obsessed with her.
44. Not having anymore weddings to attend for at least 9 more months.
45. When that beat drop.
46. The endless stream of Domino’s flyers in the mailbox. Also, Domino’s.
47. My language teacher tell me my German isn’t awful.
48. My ginger hair genes that require me to only shave my legs once a week.
49. Listening to Risk podcast stories while walking home from work.
50. That I mostly remembered all 50 of these while rewriting this stupid blog post.
