Our Top 10 Reasons to Be Thankful on Thanksgiving

11 turkey by craigCloutier (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re taking a break from carving the turkey or stuffing your face with pumpkin pie, welcome! We at NorthStar Moving are so thankful to you, our wonderful blog readers. Did you know that being thankful can actually benefit your health? An attitude for gratitude lowers stress levels, strengthens the immune system and boosts mental health. If being thankful is something to be thankful for, remembering to be thankful for a lot of other awesome things isn’t just something nice to do around the holidays; it’s a necessity!

We all have things to be thankful for–our families and friends, food and shelter, that new movie that opens on Friday–and we can always add to that list! Each and every one of us could stand to be thankful for a whole host of things. Think about all those things that make your life easier, improve the world around you or just make you feel good about being alive!

These are our top 10 things we are thankful for:

1. We’re Thankful For Claire Wineland and Claire’s Place Foundation

Claire WinelandHave you met Claire? Claire Wineland is an amazing 16-year-old living with Cystic Fibrosis. Unlike other 16-year-olds, she is the founder of her own non-profit organization designed to help children and families affected by Cystic Fibrosis. We had the honor to meet Claire when we helped The Make-A-Wish Foundation grant her wish for a super cool room makeover. We’ve loved her since we met! Through her work with Claire’s Place Foundation and her zest for life, she inspires us every single day. Claire reminds us to be thankful for every moment we have on this planet and to help our fellow planet-dwellers. Thank you, Claire!

2. We’re Thankful To Be Living in Los Angeles

Los Angeles Skyline

What’s the best city in the world? The answer is easy: Los Angeles! As our home for the past two decades, we’re thankful to be surrounded by so many great people and places. The best coast really is the West Coast. We’re so thankful for all the CALIfun we have with our fellow Angelenos!

3. We’re Thankful For Eco-Bubble

Photo by elizajanecurtis
Photo by elizajanecurtis

Yes, it’s a silly thing to be thankful for, but silly things can be important, too! We’re thankful this magical packing material works hard to keep your things protected and keep stress levels down. (Go ahead and pop some virtual eco-bubble at the top of the right sidebar on this page.) Pop! Pop! We’re also thankful it won’t spend the next hundred years decomposing in a landfill!

4. We’re Thankful for Biodiesel

Biodiesel

In case you can’t tell, we’re extremely thankful for this beautiful earth. So, that’s why we’re thankful for biodiesel! In order to keep our planet healthy, all of our big red trucks run on the stuff. Red on the outside, green on the inside. We sure are thankful to have a fleet that doesn’t contribute to pollution (and we hope the planet is thankful, too).

5. We’re Thankful for Pets

Photo by lovemaegan
Photo by lovemaegan

Where would we be without our fluffy, four-legged friends? For all the love and laughter, pets are truly something to be thankful for. Are you thinking about gaining a new family member this season? Make an animal thankful for you! Always adopt and rescue. The Lu Parker Project and Karma Rescue are two of our favorite rescue organizations.

6. We’re Thankful for Yummy Vegetarian Food

Photo by St0rmz
Photo by St0rmz

For most, Thanksgiving is all about the turkey. For us, it’s about the vegetarian stuffing! Mmm. We love vegetarian food! This year we are thankful for all of our favorite vegetarian recipes and restaurants. Did you say we’re already out of Tofurky? Oh, no!!

7. We’re Thankful for Volunteers

volunteers

Without volunteers, our last food drive wouldn’t have been such a success. Let’s face it–without volunteers, the world would stop turning! We’re thankful for everyone who donates to people in need. Consider giving back this Thanksgiving.

8. We’re Thankful for Travel

Travel

Ok, so we said we’re thankful for Los Angeles, but we’re also thankful for travel. Sometimes you just have to get away! These are some of our favorite travel destinations.

9. We’re Thankful for Home, Sweet, Home

A View from the Office

There’s a reason it is called Home, Sweet, Home. We’re thankful for our office, our awesome home base full of sunshine, smiles and an occasional rainbow. We’re also pretty thankful that we get to help people move to their own homes, sweet, homes. We love moving happiness home!

10. We’re Thankful for You! (and Social Media, Too)

Photo by jetheriot
Photo by jetheriot

We are thankful that we get to interact with so many great people on our blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, YouTube, the list goes on! We’re thankful that we get to stay connected to all of you!

We could list about 10,000 other things we’re thankful for, but you should probably get back to that feast.

What are you thankful for today? Tell us about it in the Comments section!