The View from a Drawbridge

I’ve always felt kind of selfish when counting my blessings, because doing so always shines a big old ugly spotlight on the fact that there are countless others who do not have these blessings.

But when I’m feeling cynical and bitter about the world, or finding it hard to locate even the sticky residue left behind by the milk of human kindness, what I do is count human achievements. These are shared by all of us. The more of these achievements you think about, the better you feel about the world. Try it!

Here are some human achievements to get you started:

The polio vaccine, air conditioning, the Taj Mahal, electricity, Shakespeare’s plays, public libraries, pizza, Ankor Wat, Broadway plays, Aspirin, shoes, the internet, the Beatles, the Great Pyramids, volunteerism, the Olympics, fireworks, scenic overlooks, the printing press, Impressionism, unions, chocolate, guitars, Penicillin, bicycles, Machu Picchu, x-rays, birth control, the Terracotta Warriors, the didgeridoo, the Blue Mosque, fly swatters, textiles, agriculture, crutches, heart transplants, rope, the streets of San Francisco, pole vaulting, cochlear implants, swimming pools, glass, Debussy’s Clair de Lune, glue, macaroni and cheese, Finding Nemo, the telephone, anything by Alfred Hitchcock, umbrellas, drums, car seats, bridges, Venice, democracy, airplanes, hummus, plumbing, concrete, eye glasses, public radio, the photographs of Ansel Adams, train horns, the Cathedral in San Miguel de Allende, fractal art, pottery, quilts, spas, contemporary dance, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, finger paint, museums, the television, milkshakes, the alphabet, numbers, bricks, roller skates, the Sistine Chapel, sidewalk cafes, the Eiffel Tower, weekends, escalators, holidays, massages, bell choirs, National Parks, surf boards, washing machines, telescopes, picnics, microscopes, preservation societies, Ephesus, grandfather clocks, bread, swings, microloans, space flight, the space station, roller coasters, animation, puppets, refrigerators, street performances, public transportation, post cards, anesthesia, Morphine, dentistry, play pens, sand boxes, hamburgers, fireplaces, heaters, lightning rods, steel, candles, the Sydney Opera House, henna tattoos, kayaks, Petra, elevators, pool tables, recycling, apple pie, parades, state fairs, historical reenactments, public schools, hip hop dancing, ice skating, social security, space music, yoga, mosquito repellent, the Great Wall of China, umbrellas, Second Life, Flamenco, National Geographic, science, gumboot dancing, wine, cheese and pasta…