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Gratitude

Starting in September, in an effort to deliberately change my mindset and outlook on life, I began a gratitude journal. While it is hard to quantify and observe just how much change has occurred, I can say that I feel happier. That said, being closer to family and the woman I love helps a lot with that too. Still, I'd like to share a few more things I'm grateful for that I haven't had in a good long while.

1. The fact that motorists here obey traffic laws - There have already been a number of times I thought I was about to witness death to oncoming traffic...only to see the driver dutifully stop at the STOP sign. That swings both ways, though, because if you don't obey the laws you get duly punished. I've got first hand experience of that now...

2. How quiet it can get - I had to pay premium for this back in HCMC. In the suburbs, though, it's a norm. You can hear a pin drop in my front yard at night.

3. The ability to walk places - Most people hate being outside of their house/apartment any longer than it takes them to get to their car or motorcycle. I, on the other hand, love being able to walk or bike to where I'm going. The bit of exercise is salubrious (one of my GRE words, I had to), it gives me plenty of time to listen to a podcast or article, and there's something really nice about being more intimately connected to the outside world.

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