I’ve been thinking about what I’m grateful for in a bit of a different way lately. Over the past week or so, I’ve tried to notice a couple of things — things that make me smile and things that make me feel grateful, like warm and fuzzy.

Some are simple, and some are silly, but each made a difference in my life, even if just for a moment. I highly recommend giving it a shot.

I think paying better attention to those moments, noticing those physical reactions we have, can lead to a happier life.

Here are some things I’ve recently noticed that I’m grateful for, in no particular order.

WYDOT: Kudos and thanks should go to the Wyoming Department of Transportation for completing the Evanston 6th Street bridge project on time. Our office is along the summer detour while the bridge was under construction, and I can’t even begin to count how many times I had to wait 30 whole seconds to turn out of our parking lot because of the detour. Thankfully, that suffering has ended.

The end of summer: Of course, the bridge construction was only part of the problem when it came to my oh, so painful, 30-second waits to turn onto Front Street. There are few places I’d rather be in the summer months than Evanston. Unfortunately, lots of out-of-towners feel the same. So, while summer is, by far, the best season in southwest Wyoming, I’m grateful it’s over so I can subtract that 30 seconds from my commute.

Car water: I left my water bottle in the car last week and was annoyed by it but not enough to go get it. The next morning, even in the near-freezing weather, I smiled after having one of the most refreshing gulps of water I’ve ever had.

Family: This seems like a no-brainer, but I know it’s not the case for everyone. I haven’t always been grateful for my family — but I sure am now. I’m grateful Holly and I are able to visit my mother and most of my siblings this Thanksgiving. Last year, we had COVID, so we stayed home.

We already enjoyed a perfect Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws on Saturday. Some of them will be traveling to Idaho for the holiday, so we got together early. Do you know what may be the most underrated benefit of marriage? Two Thanksgiving dinners. It’s amazing.

We were in Park City a couple of weeks ago, where we met my sister’s kids to do some Christmas shopping and celebrate a couple of birthdays. The time with them was amazing, but I’d be crazy not to mention how much I loved the Mexican mocha from Atticus Coffee & Tea House. It’s on Main Street, and coffee was about all we could afford in that area. The Mexican mocha includes cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. It was soothing on a cold day.

Songs that get stuck in your head: We hadn’t planned on shopping on Main Street — we just wanted some fancy coffee. We spent most of the day shopping at the outlets, which were all playing Christmas music. I don’t feel strongly about when it’s appropriate to begin playing Christmas music or put up holiday decorations … but it seemed a little early on Nov. 16. But by the time  we’d finished shopping, I was humming a Christmas song over and over and noticed how good it felt. I love the holidays, and it makes me smile to know we’ll soon be surrounded by family.

Friends: I’m so lucky to have such wonderful friends — both new and old, and young and old — who love and support me. When we were sick and stuck at home last Thanksgiving, our dear friend Kayne brought us hot, comforting meals from Jody’s Diner. We’ve been lucky enough to spend time with many friends over the past couple of months, and just thinking about that puts a big smile on my face.

Community: I’m so grateful to live in a place that sponsors such community. I can’t imagine there are many other small business owners like Jody Burton who take it upon themselves to provide hundreds of free Thanksgiving dinners — and Jody’s Diner has done it for several years now.

There are also many other charitable businesses and groups around here that I haven’t seen in other places I’ve lived.

Adults acting like kids: This could go in a few different directions … but I’ll stick to the script. When we got home from our Utah Thanksgiving on Sunday morning, one of our adult neighbors was kneeling in the snow, trying to get a snowball rolling. By the next time I left the house, there was a 3- or 4-foot snowman standing on the snowy lawn. I caught myself smiling again.