Some Things never Change

Old friends, old haunts, old ways....

Back in Berkeley to see the dentist, I slid seamlessly into my old routine--visiting my friend Kim at The Red Bird, sprucing up my wardrobe with a couple of purchases, eating a bowl of soup on the bench in front of their store and saying hello to their Bouvier, "Bubbles". I went to my old exercise class at the Claremont, had coffee at Peet's with my old "homies" Marcia and Anita* and hiked my favorite Seaview trail with my friend Ginny.

There were differences too--sleeping at Marcia and Steve's house, watching random YouTube clips with them of Murray, Federer and Djokovich getting angry and smashing their rackets, cracking each other up or yelling at the judges. A new bakery called Fournee, has replaced the funky old Bread Garden, which sold dog treats next to the pastries. It is elegant, delicious and expensive. Making transitions from one activity to another requires planning without being able to go home to change clothes or pick up Ozzie. The parking sticker which allowed me to park on the street in front of our house has expired.

As I moved through the familiar routine, I also moved back onto a sort of "auto pilot". My card to the parking lot at the Claremont still works, even though I am no longer a member of the health club there. The manager of the club invited me to come as her guest "any time". Wherever I went, I saw people I knew, filled them in on the fact that I had moved, discussed my longer hair or how I liked my new life or what I was doing now. The familiar old activities also highlighted the changes that have taken place in the last eight months. A few days ago, walking with Ozzie at Spring Lake, I ran into someone I knew from my exercise class, and it struck me that I rarely run into anyone I know while on my daily rounds in Santa Rosa. It takes years....

I no longer worry about driving by the old house and hating what has been done to it. I was ready to leave Berkeley, and I'm happy in Santa Rosa. It was fun to go back this time, and I look forward to going again from time to time, but it was also nice to come home.

*Another friend took the picture of us on our old bench at Peet's with my phone.