35 things I’m grateful for

I turned 35 yesterday! In no particular order, here are 35 things I’m grateful for:

1. Good health, and good overall physical condition.
2. The opportunity to grow older each year with my amazing wife.
3. My kids’ bubbly spirits and zest for life.
4. The love of my parents and siblings.
5. Oatly, Blue Lotus Chai, and stevia to make my morning chai.
6. Ending up in a job I really enjoy after the stress of getting laid off from my dream job.
7. Perks of working remote in an async environment: no commute, optimizing for my natural energy flows, and seeing my family throughout the day.
8. Willa, who is always in a good mood. #goals
9. Oregon’s natural beauty — the coast, the Willamette Valley, the high dessert.
10. Books that broaden my worldview, most recently: Unsettled. Natural climate variability seems like a far greater challenge than human CO2 emission.
11. When you’re staying in a house without air conditioning and the overnight temperature drops to 53℉ instead of 68℉.
12. The internet, and all the exchange of knowledge it facilitates.
13. The breadth of topics on Conversations with Tyler.
14. Fishing for salmon with my dad.
15. The occasional long walk with my mom.
16. A great set of teammates from across the globe: Brazil, Jamaica, Spain, Poland, Montenegro, New Zealand.
17. Psyllium husk.
18. 1% infinity — every day tiny improvements can produce substantial change over time.
19. The value of editing.
20. People who, for all their faults, move humanity forward.
21. Learning how to lift weights last September. Even the little bit I do makes me feel much stronger and capable.
22. The privilege to introduce my kids to the world. It’s incredibly warming to have their eyes light up at something I take for granted.
23. Friends I’ve had for ten, twenty, and thirty years.
24. The opportunity to make new friends every day.
25. A good night sleep.
26. An awesome trail run on a cold, crisp morning.
27. My mom’s blueberry cobbler.
28. My dad’s fish and chips.
29. Keeping a whimsical perspective on life (“my number one goal is to stay alive” and “non-stop fun all the time”) which helps me roll with the punches.
30. How much I’ve been able to travel, and how those experiences have shaped who I am.
31. PHP is better than JavaScript.
32. Living on a cul-de-sac where my kids can run around for hours.
33. Celebrating my birthday for an entire week (the “birthday week” tradition). This past week: McKenzie River trail run, sushi, homemade pizza, Chettinad with friends, weekend in Sunriver with my family.
34. Everything I’m forgetting to mention.
35. Being grateful.