The freedom to have and the ability to make choices not only what to eat, what to wear, where to go, but in any aspect of life is what we really do take for granted, aside from the air, the water, the electricity, the internet and all living things, who care for us…

Schrödinger’s Surprise

my legs.

don’t be a bitch, support my christmas tree and give me nice christmas ball! thanks lot! love sex and magic! mathilde

I take my family for granted. I dont see them to often due to work and the cost to fly home. But I like the holidays because everyone makes time to see each other and Im grateful for that.

My health. There are so many people that would do anything to have the means to eat well, exercise, and sleep well. I have to remember that I’m privileged to do these things without even thinking about it.

Salt. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I admit it. I’m a spoiled brat. Even though my husband got laid off, I take it for granted that the very worst case scenario is that our parents will somehow save us. I know we’ll never be on the street, or even go a little hungry. I want to say I appreciate it, but I don’t think I understand what it really means enough to truly appreciate it.

In this tough economy, my job! Being able to work with wonderful people for decent pay in a fun atmosphere.

i take for granted my job with the way the economy is.

Education and books

I would say my job security at times. Hard times have hit at my job & many people have been laid off but some reason I always believe I’ll be employed

I have reproductive organs that worked.

I take for granted that the sky is up. Must suck to live in China where shit is upside down.

^_^

Small freedoms and simple rights not only taken for granted but hardly recognised, that many struggle just to exist…

I take for granted the fact that I can afford all my bills, not with a lot of leeway, but I can afford them, and a lot of people can’t.

My Eyes. I couldn’t work without them.

daily necessities, like clean water.

I take the fact I only did one year long rotation in Iraq and made it back more or less unchanged.

how lucky i am to have a wonderful supporting family.

Someone that continuously help me throughout the years

Someone that continuously help me throughout the years

a steady paying job…

the internet for sure.

the internet!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

Life itself. And I’ll keep on taking it for granted until its last second….

A large sink and a stove that actually works.

The mountains that are so close.

A job.

I think I take everything for granted sometimes, even something as simple as the shoes on my feet, the scarf around my neck.

i believe i take almost everything for granted. we all just go about with are day to day lives and sometimes not thinking that there is more that just are selves to think about. there are other people and other things in the world that can be so much more important than your self. and we dont realize that till its too late.i take for granted not being able to do more as a person, a mom and a wife.

I take showers for granted. Definitely.

My misses.
(But i do love you)
.x

boom goes the ornaments! want

Life and the little things that make it less stressful and more convenient. Traveling to 3rd world countries is the best medicine as you realize what you have and enjoy while others are in less fortunate circumstances.

The fact that I am happy!

Those would look amazing on my powder blue trees!

being able to connect with everyone I love using a small mobile electronic device from anywhere in the world.

I take the fact that I have eyes and legs for granted, but then try not to.

There are so many things we take for granted like finding our one and only true love, family and great friends.

The best thing about this time of year is that I get to reflect on this and tell each and everyone of them just how special they are to me.

My fingers

LIFE! Smart man once said “Everything is amazing & nobody’s happy!”

The generosity of our families in times of need.

I take my duvet for granted. I should appreciate it more since it has been helping me save a ton of money by keeping me warm and me not having to turn on the heating

I take for granted the fact that I’m basically still a kid. I can still be babied by my parents when I go home for winter break, and it’s still okay for me to make mistakes. I’m glad that I still have a few years left to try out anything before I go into the real world. (Of course I know that people can still explore and make mistakes after school, but it’s just nice being cushioned in the bubble for now.)

I take the environment, and our living conditions for granted. We all do

An abundance of clean water

Often times I feel like I take my dogs, Puggie & Pinkie for granted. Having two pets that are so interactive, warm, friendly and that loves me conditionally is something I forget. Dogs are amazing and smart creatures that do not care about what most humans do (i.e. physical looks, money, materialistic things), they just love to be loved & vise versa. I take for granted that I have two dogs that will love me no matter where I am in life.

My job.

Electricity. Civilization would certainly take a hundred steps backward without this and we can only think of it directly as the bill to pay for.

Having heat in the winter

I think I take for granted the fact that I live in a country that gives it’s citizens the ability to have influence on the shaping of the future.

My pants.

I take my family for granted, I will learn to see more of them before its too late

My fat, hairy, pusstastic kitten. The world just wouldn’t be the same without her after I come home from a long day at work.

Fresh, pure drinking water. There’s nothing better.

My health. And my sanity. Definitely my sanity.

I take my health for granted! and my family, that they will always be there.

I definitely take sight for granted… it all changed when I lost part of it during couple of days !

frightening!

I take for granted that my dogs are housebroken.

How lucky i have life. Hearing stories from my family in S Africa i am so lucky to have a life without rampant corruption and violence

My freedom!

The fact that I have access to clean drinking water and all the essentials, allowing me to spend a good chunk of my time whining about all the stupid little insignificant things that go wrong on a daily basis.

I take my education for granted! I often forget it, but I am so lucky to have the opportunity to receive a great education.

Having shelter. Sitting here inside when its cold outside - its easy to forget.

butter

my job!

My job. When so many people are without them and have more responsibilities than myself, I really shouldn’t share an ill word about it.

My boyfriend! Who cooks, cleans, washes, tidies… All the stuff I hate, and I really don’t say thank you enough!

A plate full of food. After sitting down this past Thanksgiving and over indulging myself with more food that is reasonable or safe I realized how often and how many people go without.

Sunrises. I live right by the ocean and never wake up for the sunrise…

Time! which i guess in turn also includes procrastination. I’m always pushing things back, saying I’ll get to them later, and before i know it time is gone!

Sounds corny but I know I take my standard of living for granted. Especially when I get irritated waiting 10 minutes to order lunch. Seriously, before I came to the Notcot website I just was thinking how silly it was of me to get irritated over something so trivial.

I definitely take my boyfriend for granted.. he does the dishes almost every day and surprises me with gifts all the time!

Freedom.

I find that I take the ease of modern life for granted.

Being dry. Sounds weird but think about it. How great is it that you are not soaking wet right now? No dripping, no freezing, no sloshing of the shoes…being dry is awesome.

Christmas is sometimes taken for granted and everything that we have around it. Not the case for some.

just breathe!

water, although sometimes I get paranoid that one day I’ll wake up and go to fill up a glass and nothing will come out and I’ll call the water peeps and they’ll say, we’re sorry, but there’s no more. But I pretty much just expect it to come out of the tap anytime anywhere.

Sometimes I think I take my possibility to get a really good education for granted. I have the opportunity and I really appreciate it but sometimes It just seems to me that I take it for granted.

I hate to say it, but I often take my blood for granted. (ashamed) Blood is like….super important! If I didn’t have blood I’d be cold all the time and being cold some of the time is ok, but ALL of the time? No way. I’d have to fill myself up with something else, like cooking oil. That would blow.

How easy my wife makes my mornings.

LOVE these ornaments. Are there any AK ones to go with these?

My health.

My parents. I think out of all family and friends I treat them the worst. Sometimes the best! But usually the worst. I’m sorry I live so far away.

My health. I should be more careful and start to do something about it.

My college education, finding a good job in a bad economy, and being healthy and debt-free. I have it pretty good.

That I am alive. After losing a loved one, I never quite realized how much I take that for granted. I get to wake up and walk into the morning. I get to breathe in the crisp, cool air. I get to sit down and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while I read a good book. I can walk barefoot over grass. I can run my fingers across my cat’s fur and feel her purr with joy. I can laugh. I can cry. I can sing. I can strum my fingers over a guitar even though I don’t know how to play. I can do all these things. I can do all of these things that my loved one can no longer do because he is gone. And now I need to try and do everything with a sense of appreciation for my existence. Because as the cliche goes, life is precious and life is short. We are like a match—we burn bright before we are extinguished into small puff of smoke. We may be insignificant in a larger spectrum of things but we are here none the less. And we should make the most of every moment and every second that we have. Because once we are gone, there is no coming back.

Having a roof over my head, food to eat and water to drink

I totally used to take my parents for granted, but a little awareness and a lot of patience can go a long way! Happy Holidays!

Electricity. We had a power cut last night that took out half the street, went on for 8 hours and, although we had candles, it all felt a bit apocalypsey. Going to the loo in complete darkness was quite tricky since there’s nowhere in our tiny loo/cupboard to balance a candle, so I put the candle on the floor where it cast scary and slightly confusing shadows. I also had anxiety about the freezer and things blowing up when the electric came back on and about it never coming back on. I am not usually a scaredy person, but having no electric really threw everything out of kilter. In conclusion, I have resolved not to take electricity for granted.

I take explosions for granted.

I think I take my free time for granted. I could use my time wisely if I tried.

this website

Life itself

I take my degree in architecture for granted. Really haven’t put it to good use yet.

Sometimes I take life for granted!

I’m only leaving a comment to win stuff!

I take my talents for granted. I use them to spread corporate crap instead of creating lasting things that people care about. sigh…..

probably my gf. probably.

The caring and compassion of my family.

My friends and family and home.

I take her love for granted.

Even though I hate it, my job is taken for granted by me.

Howdy, thanks for the post! I have been reading your weblog for two or three now and i’m definitely savoring it. I actually had a few questions regarding your post though. Ya think it might be feasible for me to contact you further to discuss it? Possibly setup a chat on e mail or an instant messanging program? In any other case, appreciate it anyhow and I am going to continue to read and comment.

Breathing

+++ wow let’s take a moment just to say those ornaments are the bomb and would seriously look amazebawls on my fake white and silver tree made in china! - there’s a lot i take for granted. born in vietnam and emigrating because of the war i take for granted the quality of life i have if i hadn’t come to the states, the parents who left everything to give me a fighting chance. the american soldiers who gave me the freedoms i have today - i often think if i was stuck back in nam still i would be a very different person today - probably have a bowl cut, piece of rice stuck to my chin, skinny, grimy dirt under my nails looking for my next meal and working in a nike factory sweatin’ my bawls off +++

The cognitive abilities I have as a human.

Time is something I take for granted.
It’s only by looking back that I appreciate the future & what it holds.
The past is for certain, but the future is how wonderful you make it, for you & the people close to you.

I take Chicago for granted. Great city.

I take my parents for granted. They’ve done so much for me and sometimes I don’t show my gratitude or do much for them in return. I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things or have much happiness without them. They’ve given me so much support and love, and really worked hard to raise me right.

Potable water (just came back from traveling in South American, and drinking from the tap is a hard habit to break). And NPR, because Fresh Air is often the best conversation I heard on a given day.

It sounds cheesy and predictable but I take my family for granted. I moved to a different country this year, to continue my education, and am by myself for the first time in my life and just now am I seeing how important my family is to me.

our troops overseas…

Unfortunately I must say all of the different unearned privileges, (these being skin, sex, gender performance, able bodied, heterosexual, height, and age) that I am afforded by western society. it is sad to think that i dont have to think about these things but so many others do.

my mum at christmas time, i know she dolls the house up something fierce but now her mum is gone i see that id miss her and her xmas’s if she was to go

My parents, they’ve done so much for me and helped me through all the hard times

Like many others, the ‘rents….

The support I have received from my parents this last year. Not only did they help me financially, but, during all the mental trials and tribulations they were both there to listen and give advice. I realize now that many others do not have a relationship with their parents / family and in turn, I cherish it more.

My wonderful housemates!
Even when work is piling up, when there’s no money on the gas meter to warm up the house, and all you can eat are dried instant noodles, their kindness, warmth, and sheer silliness keeps me going. And I love being able to make them happy too.

I take my education for granted. I am at one of the best graduate schools in the country for advertising and yet I find a way to complain about it every day.

the internet.

everything. always. all the time.

even this.

I take for granted clean drinkable running TAP WATER.
A while ago I celebrated my birthday and just before the guests arrived a pipe broke and they shut down the water suply. No one was drinking water, that wasn’t the problem. No one could flush the toilet! I also couldn’t wash the dishes or shower for two days!

I’m sure I have taken for granted how privileged my life has been. It’s not worth complaining about the more trivial hardships in life, when I look back upon how good I’ve had it.

mitochondria

Pick me!

Pizza available on nearly every block.

Food and shelter.

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful family, an amazing boyfriend, a college education, a house, and a great job. I think there are times I take all of these things for granted, although everyday I do try to think about how lucky I am and specific reasons why.

I take my internets for granted.

Super cool love these!

Running water and my Mom- they are both always there for me!

A shrine to our inner wants to blow things up. Ahhhh the holidays with in-laws, wish I had one for that time of the year.

The weather

I take for granted the technology I have all around me and how easy it makes my life. Sometimes I further that by hopelessly wishing for briefcase foldable Jetson cars and jetpacks, further forgetting about the amazing stuff I do have at my disposal.

Being happy and contented - family, friends, comfortable surroundings and not being in real need all feed into this feeling.

my imagination

I definitely take for granted my family. My parents help me through school, my brother helps me with friends, and they all help me with life. I’m not sure what I would do without them.

Working toilets

guess nothing original to say - my parents

When things are going well in your life it’s easy to be in a good mood, but it takes far more character to be upbeat when things aren’t going poorly. I try to remember that, but sometimes I take everything for granted.

I take so many things for granted, being able to live my daily life without fear, without violence

I take the really great level of living in the US for granted, no matter how messed up the economy could turn, we still have the things we simply need.

I realize, having moved to Portland in August, that I have really taken my family and especially my brothers, for granted. It wasn’t until I was without them that I had this realization. Thus I have decided to move back to Utah in February.

living in such a cool city

I take for granted there´s always be a future and a chance to fix what´s wrong!

my Management Award

My job! Even though I die a little each day I come in, it def keeps the lights on. I shouldn’t complain when there are so many other people out there who can’t find a job.

I take clean water for granted.

water!

bread on my table,
little money in my pocket,
a roof on my head,
family and friends by my side.

Life.

Water.

my car and my parents!

plastic. things would be so bulky without it. also penguins, because I never see them.

Probably talking to my mom. our folks won’t always be around forever…:(

Indoor plumbing.

My next breath

Need me some of these decorations, they’re the bomb.

I take the internet for granted. Every. Day.

I would have to say my Grandmother, today I found out that she is very ill, and might not make it pass Christmas. And although I might sound really cheesy like I’m looking for sympathy or something but I’ve realized that I’ve always thought she’s always going to be around and now its becoming a reality that she might not. So I take her for granted, for sure.

I’ve spent my entire life looking for that place where I feel at home. I’ve learned that it’s not a physical place, nor is it where my heart is. For me, home is the feeling I have within myself while knowing I am on the path of going towards where I want to go, without having to change who I am. So I take my physical home for granted, and I’m glad I do, because it allows me to appreciate the feeling of home within me more.

love

Something that I take for granted everyday is my ability to receive an education. I am a first generation college student, meaning both of my parents did not attend a four year university. Being from Mexico, receiving an education is something that most children are deprived of. Having the option to get my four year degree seems like the only natural progression in growing up, but compared to most, it is something that I take for granted.

My roommate recently moved out of our apartment and took with her the Brita Water Filter. The first time I went to pour glass of water after she left I realized how much I take clean fresh water for granted. From the Brita, fountain, or a plastic bottle. Water is one of the earths most precious resources and we need to remember that and conserve it!

The internet.

Knowledge is power and now people around the world have access to more information than ever before.

I take my freedom for granted

Jingle bells and all that smells.

Not much really. First thing that comes to mind. Internet. I use it several times daily bit idk what I’d do without it.

I think I take for granted just how great my family is. I see quite often how disfunctional other families are and how it affect the children and their development into adults and it makes me glad to know that I probly have one of the most neutral, normal, down-to-earth, wholesome family. My parents are supportive and occationally doting. they give everything they have to giving better lives to me and my brother and I dont think i thank them enough or do enough for them in return.

My family. Without a doubt.

every day i take for granted the fact that i wake up

my health…

my tastebuds

Humor in everyday life

Chrome Hand Grenades

my wonderful, but unpaid, business! www.commoncreativatlanta.com
it’ll pick up one day, but in the mean time it’s a great feeling bringing together such a creative community!

My family, friends, and health. Everything else is just gravy.

the good nature of humanity in the christmas season

Obviously….Internet.

I always like alternative takes on hoiliday objects.

my parent and my youth

i think sometimes i take being able to see for granted, but notcot reminds me w all ur beautiful thingmajigs and whatchamacallits :)

The environment, especially with every plastic cup, spoon, fork, etc that we throw away

My memory and imagination. These are two things that i can always reflect on when im going through the hardest of times. They are also something that is different for every individual. They are something that is all my own and cant be taken away. My imagination gives me my creativity and ability to express myself. It also gives me possibilities of imagining great new outlooks on life. My memories are reminders of the beautiful things ive experienced along with the lessons ive learned. Without imagination life would be dead and without memories life would seem meaningless.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” -Albert Einstein

Having a job that allows me to work on my art and make money doing it…even if it’s not my dream job or one that I want to keep around for a while. Things could be a lot worse, and things can get a lot better.

I take the Holiday season for granted most of the time… I should try harder to make it special for my family and kids.

time … i take time for granted. it is not the gift that keeps on giving that’s for sure. “time is the thief of always” … clive barker

peas n carrots

I think I take my husband, and my apartment for granted. They are both always providing me things I tend to think are givens, which are in fact rewards.

I take my jobs for granted. With how the economy is today I’m thankful, and fortunate that I still make some sort of income when so many people have and are still losing their jobs due to downsizing.

Electricity; As it silently composes the backdrop of our days, many remain in darkness. Let’s appreciate our fortunes.

I take my local grocery store for granted. We forget how fortunate we are to be able to step outside our front door and purchase cereal, canned beans, milk - quite simply, a barrage of food items - within minutes. It’s not that easy for everyone!

my Jewishness, as I try to win Christmas tree ornaments.

analog camera.

the fact that i’m still alive today. I take that for granted nearly every second of my consciousness.

being protected from the crippling cold outside by whatever entity that warms your heart.

I take my family for granted.

Oxygen

Now I want to see some candy cane ak’s

Oh gee, what do I take for granted…. a lot. :/ But I’m definitely going with sight. My friend Sue is blind and has a guide dog, and it normally doesn’t appear to factor in, she’s extremely well adjusted; I mean she rock climbs! With 0 vision! She’s so awesome! But one day I was talking about how beautiful the stars were the night before, and… she couldn’t imagine them at all. And then when I started thinking about what I would lose without my sight…. sometimes her awesomness keeps me from remembering just how hard it is for her. So yeah, definitely sight.

I take for granted family. I began to reazlise this this past summer when my grandfather passed on. This will be the first Christmas not at his house with him. Just going to be a different year.

the fact that i know how to read.

I take my vision for granted.

I take for granted the fact that my teenagers are well adjusted and haven’t followed their peers to the dark side of drugs and alcohol.

That I’ll wake up in the morning

My family.

My opportunities.

My friends.

My health. I often have to remind myself that there are so many people around the world who are not nearly as lucky as I am to both be healthy and have the access to excellent medical care if that should ever change.

My right to do whatever I please.

My dear ole dad.

I take for granted my family (although less around the holidays), and my job that allows me to care for them. Both deserve a bit more of my attention.

Too many too mention! Parents and electricity are main two

Already suggested above, but for me it’s friends and family too. Just because their number is on my mobile, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t assume that they always will be there to answer a call. Sadly. I will make more of an effort to call them in 2011.

Being alive in this particular time span. As often as I think of what it would be like to live in another era (Hello, 40’s Paris!), I can’t appreciate enough how great it is to be my age - 21 - in the 2010’s.

the sun

I need this for my house, not even my tree. Well I don’t have a tree because the lack of space in my apartment. More reason for me to have this! Pleaseeeee :)

I take my girlfriend for granted

Finding all the ideas I need for Christmas gifts on Notcot!

Not meaning it when I say i’m ‘Starving’

What I take for granted? My mind, I have an endless supply of creativity, I can make endless art for weeks, having projects that take 3hours, that should have taken days. I can spit out poetry, art, art ideas, and more, but still I manage to not feel like it, or do many unproductive things instead. Under achievement is my down fall.

The little things that show you a person cares

where I am right now, the life I live. I couldn’t have dreamed of more. I’m healthy, I live in a rich country, I am finally studying graphic design as I always wanted, I’ve moved in a beautiful city, Québec city (Canada), I have the most amazing and supportive family, a boyfriend who is the world to me, awesome friends. the other day I was so moody and depressed and I thought about that, really, I couldn’t be more granted!

The people I love.

I sometimes take Hugh Grant for granted but then i remember the movie ‘Notting Hill’ and i appreciate him to the correct level again.

Facebook. Without it I’d be so much more productive. Thank God I’m not.

My parents for sure…

Well many things, but most recently electricity. The power went out for a little bit a while back and it reminded me how much modern society relies on it.

my education

I take for granted that every time i breathe out, there will be enough air to fill my lungs again with. This is a curious fact that was pointed out to me by an alternative health book, where I read about the psychological aspects of my asthma. To be able to let go of the substance that keeps you alive, you have to have complete trust that you will be provided again. During an asthma attack when it becomes harder to breathe, I lose this trust a little, and refuse to breathe out good - thus making it possible to get less and less new air in all the time. Then I have to relax and start trusting again, it will get better. Otherwise the same trust keeps my heart pumping 24/7. For me this is beautiful.
Liisa from Estonia

That when I leave my house I do not have to worry about dodging any of these little guys, I can walk freely.

Freedom

I take my family for granted… Not everyone is lucky enough to be close to their family, get to talk to them whenever I wish, spend holidays together, etc. I’m a very lucky person.

I often take too much for granted. I think the thing that I take the most for granted is the apartment I live in. It’s clean and warm but too often feels too far from the city and school.

Family and friends, being healthy

public education for sure
didn’t really realize it until my awesome ap english teacher
really showed us how privileged we were

The persecution that people from all races, religions, and backgrounds daily witness or experience around the world is staggering. I take for granted the freedoms and peace (however non-peaceful it can be at times) that I enjoy where I live. It is petty in comparison to the lives at risk in different regions of the world — simply for being different.

The fact that I was able to get a good job in my chosen field.

That I have enough to eat and a place to live.

my health.

I definitely take my health for granted.

Just one of many things: Hot water. It’s amazing how miserable life is without it.

sight and sound we often take for granted.

These would look great on my tree this year! And would be a good reminder of those who serve and cant be with their families this holiday.

My family! The hectic work schedule and many after school activities the family is often overlooked. Take time to appreciate a loving family.

Almost every night I take for granted that I will wake up the next morning. Thus I allow myself to go to sleep with unresolved matters and postponed joys. It’s a normal habit, but one that needs a reality check once in a while. Recently a friend my age died of a sudden heart attack on a perfectly normal work day. That worked for me.

The collage education i’m paying for…

My parents.

The fact that I have a roof over my head, running hot water, food and drinkable water, electricity, a job for minimal cash flow; it is phenomenal how much it is forgotten how many people in the world lack these.

the most obvious answer: my parents