You don’t have to look very far to find things to appreciate here in the Jordan River area. From the beautiful mountain views, a favorite neighborhood restaurant, a city celebration, or a neighbor lending a helping hand.
It’s the season to gather with the people we love and appreciate the places that make our everyday lives feel a little more special. Take a crisp afternoon walk along the Jordan River, appreciate the people who make our communities stronger, or make your purchases from a local business.
As the holiday season approaches and the first hints of winter arrive, November is a great time to give thanks for all the things that make us fortunate to call this place home.
The People Who Mean the Most
November is a fitting season to pause and consider the people who make a house feel like home.
Some are the family we were born into, the ones who know our stories by heart and love us anyway. Some are the friends we chose along the way who show up with a casserole, a listening ear, or a well-timed joke when we need one most. Others live just down the street: the neighbor who waves from the porch, keeps an eye on the house when we travel, or shovels the walk before we’ve had the chance to.
These relationships rarely announce themselves. They’re built on small moments, a shared meal, a quick phone call, a ride to the airport. It’s easy to take them for granted when life gets busy.
This month, take a moment to say what often goes unsaid. Send the text. Make the call. Write the note. Tell someone they matter to you. The people we love are the greatest gift we have, and gratitude is best when it’s spoken aloud.
Find Solace in the Outdoors
Living in the city with busy lives means finding a peaceful moment is a limited luxury. Fortunately, quiet places are closer than we might think and finding them starts with getting outside.
Start with Oquirrh Lake in Daybreak, where a walk along the shoreline is enough to slow the day down. In the cold months, the water is calm, the crowds thin out, and the mountains are never far from view.
To the east, the Wasatch Range stretches roughly 160 miles from the Idaho border to central Utah and climbs to nearly 12,000 feet at Mount Nebo. To the west, the Oquirrh Mountains, often traced to a Goshute word meaning “wooded mountain,” reach more than 10,600 feet.
Between them, the Jordan River winds through the valley as the Jordan River Parkway offers miles of trail for walking, biking, or simply pausing to watch the river go by. If you prefer trees and moving water, try the Bingham Creek Trail, a paved path that follows the creek.
None of these places need tickets, reservations, or fees—just a warm coat and a few unhurried minutes. However full our days may get, we can be grateful for spots like these, right in our own backyard.
The Little Things
It’s easy to measure a year by its big moments: the promotions, the vacations, the milestones we mark on the calendar. But most of life is made up of smaller things, which are too often easy to overlook.
Think of waking up healthy, with a body that carries you through the day. A hot cup of cocoa on a crisp fall evening. A good meal shared with someone you love. A comfortable bed, a warm house, a full tank of gas. The sound of a favorite song coming on at just the right moment. A stranger who holds the door, a friend who remembers your birthday, a quiet day with nothing on the schedule.
We rarely stop to notice them while they’re happening. Yet they are the things that fill our days and give them meaning. Sometimes, it’s only when one of them is missing—when we are sick, or tired, or alone—that we realize how much these little things mean.
This season of thankfulness provides the perfect time to take a moment and reflect. The small comforts are not really small at all. Often, they are the quiet foundation of what really makes life meaningful.