Since November is National Gratitude Month, I usually create a list of my top 100 things I’m grateful for. This year, I got my dates mixed up and thought November had one more week—so my gratitude list is a few days late. But maybe that’s a perfect metaphor for gratitude itself: it doesn’t need to be perfectly timed to matter.

As always, my list reflects the things most important to me—people I love, meaningful relationships, work I believe in, personal wins, small delights, growth moments, and blessings that support my highest need for Connection.

Here are some of the things I’m especially grateful for this year…

Gratitude for Home, Travel, and Everyday Comforts

• After six long years of rehabbing my Pennsylvania house after a tenant destroyed it, I was finally able to sell it.
• I got a new warm winter coat.
• My car continues to run reliably and get me everywhere I need to go.
• Google Nest makes managing my home temperature easier (and cheaper) when I travel.
• Travel points that cover flights and hotels.
• Planes, hotels, restaurants, and rental cars that make my work possible.
• My own home—and especially my own bed—when I return between trips.
• My new lilac Nobl luggage.
• Uber for being the simplest travel solution ever.
• Refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, and dryers. We take them for granted… and shouldn’t.

Gratitude for Work, Purpose, and Professional Milestones

• Achieving Platinum Pro status on American Airlines for the first time.
• My ongoing relationships with Cove Forge and White Deer Run—a 20-year and 9-year partnership—for Choice Theory training.
• Publica, the farm-to-table restaurant at Chicago O’Hare, for giving me healthy meals on the road.
• Being invited by Julie DeLong to share Mental Freedom® with Walgreens employees.
• Southland Development Authority for their support of small businesses like mine.
• Project Oz and Cheris Larson for bringing me back to Bloomington.
• Being hired for a keynote at the Choice Theory Irish Conference—and loving the experience.
• Being invited to keynote at a coaching conference in Iran.
• My wonderful podcast guests who teach me something new every week.
• My Mental Freedom® team—Tony, Sylvester, and Denise—and the planned expansion for 2026.
• Creating and launching the Privilege Survey that’s now used by college professors daily.
• Reentry Plus and Tony Lamar2 for developing the Mental Freedom Reintegration Experience (MFRX).
• InsideOut Press, my independent publishing company, and the opportunity to publish Logan’s first book.
• My ongoing work developing the LifeFit Matrix™ needs assessment—and being close to norming and validating it.
• Zahra from Iran and Shu-han from Taiwan, both helping bring Mental Freedom® to global audiences.
• Todor from Bulgaria and Rachel McElroy for integrating Mental Freedom® into new sectors (business, parenting, and education).
• My YouTube co-host and dear friend, Richard Doss, and access to his studio for Breaking the Silence.
• Being my own boss and building a life and business I love.

Gratitude for Friendship & Community

• My college roommate Darlene, who vacationed with me in January.
• My long-time friend Sylvester, who always drives me to and from the airport.
• The many friends in Altoona I’ve known for years.
• Tony & Cynthia for welcoming me into their beautiful home.
• My gratitude partner, Terri—five years of daily gratitude lists together.
• Joan Karstorm for managing my social media, web design, and video production.
• Pat Robey, my weekly Chicago lunch friend.
• Sabrina, who meets me for lunch on I-80.
• High school friends Patti and Karen, who host me and travel with me.
• Barb, who turned 60 this year.
• My cousin Anne, who always has a room for me.
• Pam, who drives 90 minutes one-way to have dinner when I’m in town.
• My friend, Marcella in Ireland, who is becoming Mental Freedom Certified.
• New friendships with Muriel, Bruce, Boba, and Dubravka in Ireland.
• Patrick in Ireland, who hosted Denise and me and showed us around Kerry.
• Conry and Rob, who treated me to a stay in their San Antonio casita.
• A magical community music experience in Ireland—strangers coming together to learn and record a song.

Gratitude for Family & Personal Joys

• My eight grandchildren—Saige, Zavier, Logan, Emerson, Maeson, Perry, Mallory, and Lincoln—each special in their own way.
• Watching all eight of them wrestle, just like their dads and grandfather.
• My sons, Dave and Kyle, both of whom found amazing partners and are wonderful fathers.
• Dave’s pool, which I enjoy in the summer.
• Being able to help Dave and Kyle with house projects this year.
• Teaching Saige how to parallel park.
• My parents, still healthy at 86 and 87.
• My daughter-in-law Jesse, who is also my hairstylist and introducer of the round brush hairdryer revolution.
• Hugs from my grandkids—they are priceless.

Gratitude for Creativity, Health & Personal Growth

• Crocheting, which keeps me grounded. This year I completed three temperature blankets for my grandkids.
• Audible, for letting me “read” while I travel.
• My new chiropractor, who helped relieve my lower-back pain.
• Good health and positive bloodwork results.
• A new, smaller, lighter computer.
• My Lyric hearing aids—and my fabulous audiologist, Bri.
• The rare but glorious pajama-and-movie days with zero responsibilities.
• Doing the NYTimes puzzles daily and sharing results with a friend.
• My ongoing dedication to nurturing friendships.
• Mental Freedom® retreats—our first one happened this year!

Gratitude for AI & Support Systems

• AI—and ChatGPT. This technology has expanded my capacity, supported my work, and made my life easier in more ways than I can count.
• Anna, who keeps my condo beautifully clean.
• And finally… gratitude for making my business work, year after year, with passion, purpose, and joy.

Closing Thought on Gratitude

Every year brings challenges—but also bright spots, moments of connection, surprises, blessings, and growth. Creating this list reminds me that gratitude isn’t about having a perfect year; it’s about noticing the good inside the messy, busy, beautiful year you’ve lived.

I hope this inspires you to reflect on your own list—whether it’s one big thing or one hundred small ones. Gratitude doesn’t just change what you see. It changes how you see.