Little bright spots

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Nothing happened again today. Except for walking Zing, I didn’t leave the apartment. It was a good day to stay inside anyway — cold (high of 51°, I heard) — gray, rainy, windy. Last summer people told me it would get this way in Sacramento, but I didn’t believe it.  

This morning Zing and I passed a man raking soggy leaves at the curb of the next apartments. On a whim I said, “Thank you for your work.” (It was so miserable outside!) He nodded and smiled. “I take care of this whole block of apartments.” That’s a lot of leaves, we agreed.

And farther on, at Capitol Mall, where there are banks and government offices, stoic people lined up in front of the federal building, waiting, I think for 8 a.m. or maybe 9. I’ve got to find out why they’re there, but today it was uninviting to walk even one extra step. Then along came a man in a tailored coat and a felt fedora, and guess what he was doing as he walked briskly among all those people on their phones? He was reading a book, turning pages and everything. He brightened my morning.  

Love,
k