This is Day 10 of the Positive 100, a countdown to Rare Disease Day 2014 and an exercise in being positive despite it all.

Gratitude is often equated with the act of thanksgiving (and also sometimes with the holiday too), but it really is so much more than that.

Gratitude is about finding the good amongst the bad. Seeing the ugly in the beautiful.

It doesn’t matter how many struggles that you have had. You are always better off than someone else. You have always had something that someone might covet. Maybe your family is strong and tight knit. Maybe you have a wicked sharp wit. Maybe you can make anyone laugh. You might just have a stable job. Or all the right friends.

Recognizing these gifts is gratitude. Gratitude is another one of those things that helps us to know that we are alive.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
― Thornton Wilder

I know just how lucky I am. To have the friends that I do. Or the family. Or the access to healthcare. I have an incredible medical team that keeps me working. And coworkers that just about every one I know wishes they had. I have a job that people would just about kill for. I have a roof. Two cats. Clothes. A platform. Connections. Robot parts.

Knowing, and recognizing, all of these things reminds me that I am alive. That my life is more than a disease and doctors. More than bad days and good days. More than drugs and more drugs.

Gratitude can make those ugly moments fade. I just have to think of that list (and maybe just a few more) and I know. And I can give thanks. I can express gratitude.

Thank you. Thank you universe. Thank you family. Thank you friends. You have made me possible.

Share what friendship means to you on Twitter, Instagram and Google+ with the hashtag #100positivedays. Also, you can sign up to be emailed a recap each week of the challenge.