Gratitude: Putting things into perspective
Tags: Life, San Francisco, Travel, Netherlands, Gratitude

As I walked towards the water through the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, my friend texted “Where are you?”. “On Fulton where it intersects with the ocean” I answered. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was walking towards the ocean, not the lake, not the bay or the sea. This is the ocean — the Pacific Ocean. I’ve gotten so used to the breathtaking coastal highways of Northern California and the numerous sunny yet crisp beaches of San Francisco that I often forget the gravity of the situation- I live on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, something I could only romanticize about during my childhood in China. Names like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York seemed like the most magical yet distant fantasy lands. Today I live right on the iconic Embardacero of San Francisco. Yet I’ve been completely numb to its charms.

A few years ago I visited the town of Utrecht, Netherlands. Every morning I woke up in the airy attic of a historic brick house to the sounds of 18th century church bells. I then hand grinded boutique coffee beans for my french press to be enjoyed on the porch swing overlooking the central canal. Next I took a stroll along the canal to the town center and drooled over every passersby, among which 90% were tall, blonde and modelesque. One of the days I even took a kayak down the canal and marveled at the iconic dutch architectures along the banks while occassionally being brushed over by willows trees that seemingly floated in water. As I rowed down the canal, I traveled through time. I could almost hear the 18th century horse carriages passing through and small merchants bargaining on the canal banks. For a week, I soaked in every last ounce of this enchanting fairy land.

When I returned to San Franciso, it felt like I went from a princess in one of Hans Anderson’s books to a slave in the dark ages. Everything disappointed me. The streets were dirty, the buildings were ugly and no one on the street looked like a model. It wasn’t until I moved to the piers this year that I found myself waking up every morning to the bells of the Ferry building, drinking hot coffee on my sun-kissed patio then taking a stroll along the water. A moment of clarity hit me. I am living a life more magical than I could’ve ever dreamed of as a 9-year-old Chinese kid. Sure the streets of the Netherlands are more quaint than here in the US. But I freaking live in San Francisco! I can literally hear horns as ships disembark. I can probably throw a stone into the bay from my patio. And I can wear a t-shirt outside in December! Just like how I was utterly taken by the beauty of the Netherlands, if I was visting San Francisco from China, I would be completely mesmerized by every corner of the city.

I would love to say that I became perpetually grateful and loving ever since the epiphany. But let’s face it, I’m a human being who experiences these incredible moments of clarity, returns back to life full of wisdom, but inevitably gets sucked back into society’s lack mentality. I do have to say though that everytime I hear the Ferry building bell, take a brisk walk along the piers or even just make myself a cup of coffee, I take a deep breath and remember how much the 9-year-old me would’ve absolutely been enchanted by this life.