Small Triumphs

It’s easy not to pay attention to the small things that go right, the small triumphs.  For example:

1.     I took my sick bonsai to a flower shop in Japantown and the woman behind the counter diagnosed the problem.  She said my plant was infected with spider mites.  She sold me a can of spray that will make my bonsai healthy.

2.    2.       My new computer arrived two weeks ago.  Changing computers is a traumatic process at best.  This promised to be doubly traumatic, because I was changing from a PC to an Apple.  I’d never used an Apple before.  With research, perseverance, creativity and luck I managed to migrate my data to the iMac, get the programs I wanted installed and running, and learned enough about how to operate my new computer so that I was able, yesterday, to unplug and remove my old PC.  Now that I think about it, this one may qualify as a big triumph.

3.      3.      I hate getting packages through the U.S. Postal Service.  Too often I miss the delivery.  Unlike UPS and FedEx they won’t automatically redeliver the package. They’ll keep it at the Post Office.  This means I’ll need to go there, find a parking place, stand in line forever and then endure another long wait while an incompetent employee searches for the thing.  During the past week I’ve had multiple USPS deliveries.  Fortunately, every time I’ve been here to take delivery and have avoided the hassle of fighting their system.

4.   4.      I have a DVR and record almost all the TV I watch for later viewing.  Sometimes, by accident I find out something I don’t want to know.  Like the score of a game I haven’t yet seen, or the finale of a show.  I’ve been watching “The Shield,” for years and the final show of the final season aired last night.  No way did I want to know what happened.  But there were multiple articles on the series in every newspaper I read.  I managed to avoid seeing them and now look forward to being surprised (or not) by what I see when I watch what I’ve recorded.

5.       5.      As I said, when the small things go right it’s easy not to notice.  Like every day when the newspapers are delivered.  When the plumber shows up on the right day and on time.  When months go by without a power outage.  When the guy across the street who likes to party till the wee hours on his front patio is quiet.  When the car starts every time.

      And more . . .

      Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Take time to be thankful.