In times when the world feels like it’s splintering apart, finding reasons to be grateful can be challenging. In this week’s post, I’ll share 10 things—beyond family, friends, and pets—that I’m thankful for and that help me navigate difficult times. These are in no particular order, and I stopped at 10…
The innate human drive to create
Learning about artist’s resilience, curiosity, and creative force opened my eyes as a student to the lifelong drive of art making. After major surgery in 1941, Matisse was confined to a wheelchair. He turned to drawing and paper cut-outs, media that were physically more manageable and offered new potential for expression. Artists don’t retire.
Botanical Gardens. I have never visited one that I didn’t love. The beauty, variety, and humidity draw me in every time. It is such an immersive experience. When I was a child, my favorite place was the Fern Room at the Como Park Conservatory.
Botanical Garden in Copenhagen: Inside the tropical palm house dating back in time to 1874
The gardens house the largest collection of living plants in Denmark, with over 13,000 species, and a historic glasshouse (Palm House) dating back to the 19th century.
Speed. I love riding my bike FAST. My dream ride is the downhill Haleakala Sunrise Self-Guided Bike Tour.
Modern Art Museum gift shops
I can spend hours appreciating each and every item…and leaving with a postcard. Good design is so satisfying. Humans are inspiring and innovative. I trust this to be true.
A walk in the woods. Dappled paths on a sunny day are my all-time favorite, but you can’t beat the MN woods in the fall.
October Hike in MN — Shannon Steven Full Moon Gazing
I make a point of seeing the full moon every month. In the early evening when it is first rising in the east and in the wee hours when its beam shines across my path in the nighttime hallway.
September Camp Moon — Shannon Steven Our truehearted moon shows up for us night after night. The same moon has been there since each of our beginnings. We only have to look up to know it is there for us, devoted to our earth and us upon it.
Inflatable air dancers
These air dancers, inflatable mascots and dinosaurs never fail to make me smile!
Paradiola Do you see faces in everyday objects? I feel like it just makes life a little more fun and adds a sense of wonder to mundane experiences like feeding your whining cat a little bedtime treat. Look up Pareidolia on the internet, and you will be barraged with fun pictures of faces found in the mundane. I think you could easily tune out your surroundings as you go about your day and never notice how the things around you may be 'watching' you. Tune in and add some levity to your day!
Canface — Shannon Steven Funny Vegetables (Ok, this may be an extension of my paradiola!)
Singing Pepper — Shannon Steven 
Carrot Legs — Shannon Steven The Golden Ratio/The Golden Spiral, Fibboncci Sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is important for many reasons. In nature, the numbers and ratios in the sequence can be found in the patterns of petals of flowers, the whorls of a pine cone, and the leaves on stems. As the sequence continues, the ratios of the terms approach a number known as the golden ratio.
Romanesco Broccoli before we ate it up!
All of these are not just distractions, but truly make me feel happy and alive. They reassure me that even if everything falls apart, I can count on them to settle my mind, and center me. They bring me back to what is true and real for me. Even if they seem too light-hearted for tough times. I cannot sit in the muck at all times. When I am steady, and ready, the path to impact becomes more clear. The joy I find in this list is not just a way to cope. It is a separate and innate truth that I need to go back to in order to serve the world.
What’s on your list?
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All my best,
Thank you for sharing your delightful gratitudes. I learned a new word: Pareidolia. You’ve sparked my curiosity on this cold November day.
Shannon, this was such a delight!!! I am so grateful for you, for Weekly Wonder and for Wonder wander. They always brighten my day!