gratitude list for earth day

I’m totally stealing this idea from Maria Rodale, and I think you should too! Here is my Earth gratitude list in preparation for Earth Day tomorrow (and every day!):

1. The sound of wind blowing leaves, especially in the fall
2. The sound of water anywhere – creeks, rivers, ocean waves
3. Worms coming out after a rain
4. Bees buzzing from flower to flower
5. The shade of a tree on a hot day
6. The one-of-a-kind quiet of a forest
7. Sand between your toes
8. The warmth of the sun on your skin on a cool day
9. How big trees’ branches seem to dance in the wind
10. So-called weeds that keep coming back even after all that we do to kill them off
11. The snooty birds on our feeder that pick through our bird feeders, only eating the seeds that they like
12. The smell during a spring rain
13. The view at the top after a mountain hike
14. Rocks that are perfectly shaped for skipping in the lake or river
15. How kids can get totally lost in nature, no matter how small of a spot it might be
16. The family of snakes that lives in our garden – I like how they eat the bugs, and Grant likes how I scream like a school girl every time one slithers by, no matter how often it happens
17. How beautifully it all works together
18. The taste of a vegetable straight from the garden
19. Thunderstorms
20. Walking in the woods right after a big snow fall
21. The smell of our herb garden when I walk by in the morning
22. The potential of a small patch of earth
23. The bright orange of the butterfly weed planted around our patio
24. Clover and other cover crops that put more back into the soil than they take out
25. Foggy mornings
26. How still rabbits sit when they’re scared of a predator – and then speed off all of the sudden
27. Big white clouds on a clear sunny day
28. The peacefulness that nature brings
29. Bird songs
30. The buzz of insects in the garden
31. How playful squirrels look when they’re running on tree branches
32. The smell of rosemary
33. The feeling at the end of a long day of hiking (and the taste of a cold beer to reward myself!)
34. How nature works so cyclically
35. The shadows that clouds make on the ground
36. Twilight in a garden
37. How trees go from so young and tender to big and mighty in really no time at all
38. Lightning bugs, especially on clear night so it feels like they’re lighting up everywhere at once
39. Finding some surprise wild berries on a hike, typically when you could really use them
40. The wildness of nature
41. The orderliness of a well-tended farm
42. The slow circles of hawk looking for prey
43. The millions of microroganisms doing their thing under every square foot of soil
44. Creeks with rocks for stomping across
45. The solitude of sunrise
46. Nature’s peace-inducing, stress-reducing characteristics. Even if you can only get outside for two minutes, it’s amazing the difference it makes.
47. Sleeping outside (in a tent) or with the windows open and waking up to the first sounds of nature waking up too
48. The crunch that leaves make under your feet in the fall
49. The bright, varied colors of the sunset depending on the season
50. The feel of walking barefoot on the grass/dirt