It’s Thanksgiving week and that means posts about thankfulness are popping up on blogs across the United States, so I decided to play along.
When you live in Colorado there’s a lot to be thankful for, but I’m especially thankful for our 300 days of sunshine every year.
Coloradans wake up to sunshine streaming in our bedroom windows nearly every day of the week. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, this was a new concept for me when I moved to Colorado, and even after fifteen years of living here I never take those rays of morning sunshine for granted.
A recent study in the United Arab Emirates (written about in the Huffington Post in 2013) has linked behavioral change with mood change and vitamin D status. See full article here.
Another study seemed to show that people living in sunny states such as Arizona and Florida tended to be more happy than those living in less sunny states such as New York. (NBCNews.com)
I don’t need a study to tell me I’m happier when the sun is shining, I know that I am. When the day is dark my mood is dark, but if it’s sunny I tend to have a sunny disposition. I am much more energetic on sunny days, which means I’m much more energetic living in Colorado than I would be living in a rainy state.
The wonderful thing about sunshine is that it makes it a lot easier to get out and enjoy everything Colorado has to offer such as 42 state parks and thousands of miles trail. I realize some of you hardcore types like to hike in the rain, but I do not.
Even if you don’t like hiking, the sun can still be part of a great Colorado day. I always choose to sit at the sunny table in restaurants and coffee shops, and I prefer to dine al fresco the moment restaurants open their patio dining. Of course, in Colorado, some restaurants have year round al fresco dining available, another reason I love living here.
So there you have it. This Thanksgiving I’ll be giving thanks for sunshine. And please note, this is the only post on HeidiTown this week, but don’t miss “Colorado Christmas Towns” this week in The Heidi Guide on MountainLiving.com.
John Denver said it best.
Happy Thanksgiving, citizen.
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Well we are all thankful that Colorado has an Ambassador to shout it from the rooftops! Thank you kindly Mayor!