Thursday, July 29, 2010

Silver linings

A long time ago,  a friend told me that I was so good at finding the silver lining, he wondered if I purposely chased the clouds . . .

I know that my talent for finding the positive side of almost ANY situation generally serves me well.  I truly feel LUCKY that my brakes failed when they did yesterday–before I had hopped back on the highway–and that I was able to pull into a shopping center parking lot with a lot of space. It could have been so much uglier than sitting in the hot sun for an hour waiting for the tow truck and dealing with unpleasant brake shop company.

I have been walking around with my June lotto blocks for a while.  I didn't want them to get lost in the move . . . but I didn't think far enough a head to consider that I might not be able to easily put my hands on the box of kraft envelopes that I like to use to mail fabric/quilt blocks.  On Monday, I unpacked some funky stationary and envelopes and decided it would do.

Post Office SignI had driven past the Post Office, so I knew it was only a few blocks away.   Today, while my vehicle is still in the shop, I decided that I could walk to the post office and mail my very very late lotto blocks to Cory, Pat and Rho.  And so I did.

I got there in 10 minutes.

When I walk, I see so much more than I ever notice whizzing by in the car.  Today was no exception.  In the little strip, along with the post office are a bakery-cafe, a drug store, a haircutter, a liquor store, a UPS-DHL shipping place and more.  All good things to know about and to have nearby.

A great big grocery store within walking distanceBut the best find was what I glimpsed behind the post office . . . a great big HEB grocery store.  After I had mailed off my lotto blocks to the June winners, I had to make a detour to check it out.  One of the few things I have missed about the itty bitty loft in Dalals was the grocery store on the ground floor of the building, even though, over the 18 months I lived there, the selection became even more limited and the prices sky-rocketed.  But this is a ginormous grocery with a huge wine section, a beautiful big produce section and fresh sushi!  It really felt like a silvery lining.

I picked up some ripe tomatoes and an avocado to add to my salad for lunch today and was a happy camper.

Speaking of tomatoes, look what I found sitting on a sunny sidewalk during my trip.

Tomatoes drying on a sidewalk

6 comments:

lj_cox said...

I am very glad that your brakes didn't fail in a much worse way. If that's "cloud-seeking" sign me up. I know a lot of the mechanical failures we've had lately (pump, spring, tire, alternator, spring) could have been much more serious, rather than merely inconvenient and expensive.

It's always great to have a nice grocery store nearby! Enjoy your salad!

Debra Dixon said...

HEB--that's where my son is one of the chefs for Cooking Connection. I love HEB and I love their philosophy of being a positive force in the community.

And thankfully, the brakes did not give out when you rearended someone's car!

Pat/SWquilter said...

One of my best friends lives in Pflugerville and there is an HEB very near her house - great stores!

Clare said...

There you go! If the brakes hadn't failed you wouldn't have discovered how close everything is and the grocery store will still need to be discovered.

Yup - every cloud has a silver lining.

Barbara C said...

Looking on the bright side is a great survival skill. I like to say I look on the bright side even in the dark. It's an attitude that has served me well.

Those tomatoes drying on the sidewalk made me smile. They'll be dry in no time on the hot concrete.

Christine Thresh said...

I'm glad you found the brake problem before you got on a freeway.
And, I'm glad you found the grocery store.
I am also glad you found your camera.
Keep safe.

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