The other day, my daughter posted a sign on our front door asking people to write, “What are you thankful for?”

The gardeners, the mailman, the holiday lighting guys, and others wrote: “I am thankful for my family, my friends, my job, my health, my cool friends, the blue sky, and happy times.”

I have to say, I love this!

Then it got me thinking…while I’m also thankful for my health, my family, and my cool friends, what else am I thankful for? Since I write about seeing the favor in any experience, good or bad (such as a break up), I realized that…

I’m thankful for all the sucky things that happened in my life too.

So here’s my “I’m thankful” list: 

•  I’m thankful for that sucky job at a low-budget production company and the executive assistant who made me cry. Because of that, I quit and got a great job at a big studio where I met my husband.

•  I’m thankful for the toxic friends I had, because by letting go of them, I got great friends who are the most supportive, amazing women I’ve ever met.

• I’m thankful for the bad perm my girlfriend gave me when I was in high school, because I now favor healthy blowouts at the Dry Bar instead of chemical hair frying.

• I’m thankful for the slow driver on the 134 freeway who I couldn’t get around no matter how hard I tried, because it forced me to slow down and listen to a great segment on NPR…and I still got to my meeting on time.

• I’m thankful for that cold I got back in August, because I got to catch up on the entire series of “Game of Thrones”…and I got hooked on greenie shakes.

• I’m thankful for all the scars on my knees from chasing my brother and falling down (a lot), because they remind me to lead, not follow.

• I’m thankful for my big breakup, because I got back my confident self, started writing again, and penned the book, “He Did You a Favor.”

• I’m thankful for the guy who dumped me on the eve of being asked out by a guy who ended up being the love of my life.

The truth is, you never gain strength without great challenges. Because of all my experiences, I’m happier, healthier, and stronger than I’ve ever been in my life. For that, I can be thankful for each and every one of them.

What’s on your “thankful” list?

 Happy Post-Thanksgiving! 

 With love, Debra

Debra Rogers is the author of He Did You a Favor — A Smart Girl’s Guide to Breaking Up, Waking Up, and Discovering the Gift of YOU. She lives in Los Angeles with her amazing daughter and has finally found true love. He Did You a Favor is her recipe for success, so you can have the life (and love) you’ve always dreamed of.