Savoring newness

There were changes at work and delightful, personal bits came up. My faves this week are about them:

1. Easy adjustments. We were handed new keys. Our new office sports a mini-kitchen with automatic taps.
High back swivel chairs roll efficiently to our whim. The bathroom is supplied with extra fragrances. There's a snack table that doesn't seem to run out of food. Is this still a faculty office or what? We are so tucking in nicely. I heard the lecture and meeting rooms of Bldg. 18 are quite high tech. Maybe when things are not just positively new but also provide state of the art convenience, the situation easily becomes a fave.

2. Gallant security. The new building is patrolled by a new team of guards. Reflective of Thai politeness, these men in uniform do more. They salute faculty members on their way out at the end of the day. Fairly amusing but I got to behave accordingly. The only other time I experienced this type of safety was when I used to drive through residential security when I was married. Now single and no longer driving home to rows of large townhouses the salute is still on (lol).

3. Good scores. Life is a piece of cake during midterms, for invigilators that is. The happy part is that most university exam takers got above median scores. One student made only one mistake. If someone perfects at least one subject in the finals, I'm ready to party.

4. A pretty wall. Staff livened up the entrance of my apartment. They changed the wall tiles from urban drab to a bit of rustic hue; and hung flowers that make me feel like I'm in the country, not whirling endlessly in a busy metropolis.

5. Love notes. You've probably heard or read about Elena Desserich, a 6-year old girl with cancer who wrote love notes to her family before she died and hid the notes everywhere in their house for them to find. Cynical comments poured in. I dwell on the heart-warming quality of the story. It nudges me to be grateful for and pay attention to my healthy five-year-old's little handiwork - a sketch of my face with six fat strands of upright eyelashes and a pair of elfish ears. Under it he writes H-A-L-Z-E and proudly exclaims, "Mommy, look!"

~ Visit Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story for more faves ~