2 months, 8 days.

Or something like that. What do I think? Did I make the right choice? I don't know the answer to those questions. Am I where I'm supposed to be? Yes. But, this is as awesome and harder than I expected at the same time. My job is the best job and the hardest job I've ever had. San Francisco has more fog than I ever saw in Oregon. More than anything (except my adoring family and awesome friends) I miss grass between the sidewalk and the curb. And good, hard rain. None of this misty bullshit, I want rain that almost hurts when it hits you in the face. I want to be soaking wet after the trip from my car to my apartment. I want to feel alone in the pounding of the rain, the presence of God in the solitude of a rainy night. Something familiar. Something horrendously mundane and boring and irritating like cold, hard rain. Not cold, hard cash. That's stupid. I want grandma's short ribs on a Sunday afternoon. Or spaghetti. Or the best overcooked roast you can imagine, with ketchup. Those are the things that can never be taken from me.

Running across the street.

A few days ago something beautiful happened. I was in a hurry on my way to work, as usual when EVERYTHING STOPPED. I was a few cars back from the crosswalk at a stoplight, patiently waiting for the light to turn green. It finally changed, but nobody was moving. A little irritated, my hand moved for the horn but I stopped when I realized what was happening. The sun was shining bright as a man had begun the journey that was the crosswalk. Dignity was granted as he was allowed step by painstaking step through the crosswalk without anyone impatiently swerving around him. A cane in each hand and groceries dangling in plastic bags he slowly made his way across the street. I'm sure to him, this was running. Moving as fast as he possibly could. For everyone else, this was patience. And, it was graciously granted to the man in the crosswalk. Human dignity lived for a moment and it was beautiful. The signal changed twice, but for a moment an old man was young again, running across the street.