I’ve been making a conscious effort to be thankful these days, maybe because Thanksgiving’s coming (and both kids and partners will be home!); here are some of the free things that have brightened my days lately:
*Walking through the woods, really paying attention, marvelling that the ingredients to grow such massive trees are all contained within tiny acorns, pinecones and prickly horse chestnuts.
*The excited little love whimpers Charlie makes when we pick her up from the kennel.
*Sun lace on the ground tatted by sunlight dappling through the trees.
*Surfing Kijiji, an endless 24/7 online yard sale.
*Weekly visits to the library and walking out with hours and hours of reading enjoyment in my bag.
*Browsing the racks/shelves at used clothing/junk stores like Guy’s Frenchy’s, Value Village (said with a French accent) and Goodwill. This is not usually free as I often find some bit of treasure to take home.
*The Canadian health care system. Okay, I realize we pay for it through our taxes, but it is nice to seek medical attention without worrying about how you’re going to pay for it.
*Hiking and biking trails, especially the parks, TransCanada Trail system and Rails to Trails here in Nova Scotia.
*The salty smell of the sea and the shushing of the surf, beachglass, sunsets, shells and beach art, like this:
*Google with all its blogs, YouTube videos and how-to sites – the answer is always on there somewhere if you spend enough time looking… Here’s one of creative illustrator Sydney Smith (transplanted Nova Scotian) doing an illustration for GRANT AND TILLIE GO WALKING (by Monica Kulling) – fascinating! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwpwc6NU3Ew Again, this isn’t exactly free, but almost…
What’s been brightening your days lately? Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Turkey Day!
Jan L. Coates - "What if...?" 
There is so much free stuff to make us happy. Sitting on the beach is free. Walking my new dog is also free and makes me happy. Have a wonderful thanksgiving with your family Jan.
Thanks, Darlene – we did! The weather cooperated although we’re getting the tail end of the hurricane today. Keep enjoying that sunshine and your puppy!
Thank you for this, Jan. I need to do the same, pronto. Our Thanksgiving is not for two more months, but might as well make it a year-round thing.
Hi, Mirka – I’m trying to make it a habit to take time to appreciate the world. We’ve had a gorgeous Thanksgiving weekend, and both my kids and partners were home, so I’m smiling:)
Love this, the idea and the photos! I agree with most of your list, especially the Canadian health care system. I really appreciate this, especially when I hear about my American friends and relatives who have serious issues or need operations.
Thanks for saying hi, Barbara. Yup – health care is something we can never take for granted, even though most people seem to complain about the Canadian system a lot…