Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

Beau is working late tonight, and in an effort to relax I decided to listen to a podcast I had downloaded a year ago from Yoga to the People and do yoga for an hour. I had no idea it would make me miss Berkeley so much!

Not just Berkeley as a place, but also who I was when I first began my journey to the city. It brought back feelings and memories of the beautiful smells, the damp air and soggy streets, and most of all, the exciting feeling that everything was brand new. It was a time when I was not only exploring a new and strange city, I was also exploring myself. I couldn't soak in enough of the people, the crazy random shops and the thousands of restaurants. I would never be in want of a coffee shop. For the first few months it rained and rained but I didn't mind at all. There was not a day gone by when I didn't cuddle up in my warmest Southern California garb and discover something new- be it a cupcake like I had never dreamed existed, or a scary ghetto neighborhood where there happened to be a fantastic farmers market. I didn't pass up any invitation for a party, an art opening or to go out and meet new friends. I met people who have taught me those sorts of important things only strangers can teach you, and I have also met people who I couldn't wait to get away from. All in all, those damp days were something I will cherish forever. The simple joy of starting every day walking next to the bay; soaking it all in, as if I new my time was limited. I have never been so happy.



And even more than those beautiful mornings and eventful days, oh those San Fransisco nights! The night I went to an art opening on a whim and met some of the most entertaining people I could ever hope to mingle with. That art is still some of my favorite I have ever seen. And outside the gallery, on a cold dark street, stood a band consisting of a tuba, drums, trombone, and other odd instruments. As they played, a chubby girl wearing a beanie sold homemade cupcakes for a dollar. I was delighted!

And then there was the jazz band that played once a week at the cafe down the street. Every evening I would walk to the cafe, buy a cup of tea and sit by myself listening to jazz... but I never felt alone. I believe the word I am looking for is content. Completely content.

I wouldn't trade all of those yoga classes in the city, eccentric artists' openings and BART rides for anything in this world.

Here is to you Bay Area! Thank you for being my home for the short couple of years I was lucky enough to live there. I miss your random beauty among the yuck and that excited feeling I would get in my belly when I found something new I had never seen before. *Muah!*