Your Clitoris and Nine Other Things You Should Be Grateful For

Every November, I write about the importance of gratitude. The beneficial effects of gratitude are well documented. Grateful people enjoy better health, more happiness and live longer. On top of this, they make for better company. If, like so many parents I know, the question, “How are you?” prompts the response, “Busy, stressed and tired,” you may be having some difficulty coming up with things to be grateful for. Of course there are the obvious ones, like chocolate, friends, wine and family. My advice? Keep it even simpler.

Clean water – 1 in 10 people do not have access to clean water. I get upset when my Poland Spring delivery is late.

Toilets – 1 in 3 people do not have access to a toilet. 1 in 3! Using a clean bathroom in your own home is a luxury.

Your clitoris – over 100 million women have received female genital mutilation. Think it is hard to find the energy for sex now? Imagine what it would be like without your happy place.

Education – 759 million adults are illiterate. Be grateful you can read this.

Freedom of speech – The older I get, the harder it is to keep my mouth shut. The biggest risk I take is the possibility of someone thinking I am a witch with a capital “B”. Consider what it would be like to live in a country where you could be thrown in jail, or worse, for expressing your views.

Healthcare – I am as down on healthcare in the U.S. as the next person, but if my children need help, it is just a three number phone call away. At this very moment, parents are carrying a sick child for miles for the slim chance they can find someone who can heal.