Gratitude

My positive feelings come unexpectedly when I’m padding around my new apartment, or running into a friend in the street. Often, my atti-dude changes when I’m ordering a drink at a coffeeshop!

I’m grateful it’s possible to dine-in at a coffeeshop, even if it is a chain like Starbucks. Many folks are haters on the “too expensive” coffee, but my attitude of gratitude extends to who I’m with when I’m sharing an experience of having coffee with someone else. I’m happy to see Starbucks is re-adding furniture in the shop so I can rest inside instead of having to keep walking–as created during Covid. Plus the competition by locally run shops is also nice.

I’m grateful for my new utility bill from PG&E of 26 dollars. I just moved back to San Francisco from Honolulu–and my electric bill in Honolulu was over ten times higher because Hawaiian Electric left using coal for gas to make energy. As a San Franciscan of 29 years, it seemed sacrilegious to run my air-conditioner all day and even during the night-in order to sleep well in Hawaii–the past four years–on my Covid vacation since retiring. But I’m back to free air-conditioning here in San Francisco!

I’m grateful for new yoga classes in a facility that is full service, instead of an afterthought in an inexpensive gym chain. I enjoy the quality of the people training and teaching here in San Francisco, and I realize I don’t have to be concerned what other people think outside of California, or outside San Francisco. There’s always a reason things cost more here. And I don’t have to try to control or complain about wishing things were different. I don’t have to worry about social media postings about how bad things are here in CA.

This place is awesome! If I never see Katsu Chicken on a menu, or see macaroni salad on a plate, I won’t shed any tears. I am grateful for the restaurants that have survived the shut-down and the new ones that are opening.

My new closet is a walk-in and has a light that automatically turns on when I enter. My sink is brand new and has an adjustable sprayer at the faucet, and I have the original cabinetry–plus all new faux marble-topped counters in the kitchen and bathroom. I even have a new vanity as well as the old one. I even have a toilet paper dispenser–and all the electrical outlets work! I have a fire suppression system that is brand new and has a sprinkler system checked annually by the fire department.

One hundred and fifty two buildings in Waikiki over ten stories tall have no sprinkler systems or meet current codes for fires. The Maui fires did kinda freak me out–and a building fire next door to my building in Waikiki had me re-evaluate my evacuation plan. The new tsunami warning zones posted around town looked helpful, but the governmental agencies in Hawaii don’t really seem to be able to do anything–and that’s okay–because everyone seems okay with things the way they are. Today, I don’t have to rock the boat!