Gratitude

It’s officially the season where we celebrate gratitude, so of course I’ve been planning to share a few words on the topic. But here I am getting over a wicked cold, after wrenching my neck right in the middle of a long week of very long days ... so when I sat down to write this column all I could think is, “I’m an unreliable source for gratitude right this minute.”

After a deep breath and some thought, I was able to focus on the big picture. After all, we live in a world where the common cold is a mere inconvenience, not a life- threatening illness; where a wrenched neck means a quick visit to the bone doc, not falling prey to a hungry Smilodon; where I can be proud of my busy days, not haunted by having too little to do. I have plenty to be grateful for.

This revelation called to mind my first column for North Park News, whose words still ring true. So I thought I might just paraphrase the important parts here:

When my husband Robert and I were looking to buy our first home together, we spent hours driving through different neighborhoods and imagining our future. Cheerfully lost in that time before widespread GPS, we found ourselves suddenly in North Park, and it was love at first sight. The grand “mansions” on 28th Street overlooking the park, the charming bungalows, the proximity to downtown, and the walkability, even back then in 1997 — it was awesome.

Eventually we brought our babies home to a little Mission-style bungalow in Burlingame, where they grew up riding their bikes and playing in the streets, building forts and tree swings in the canyons. Our neighbors became like family, raising our kids together and sharing our joys and heartaches.

Over time, we marveled at the changes in our little community, feeling blessed to be part of the revitalization. In 2006, I embarked upon a career in real estate that took root in North Park and has grown countywide.

I look back in amazement at how that day in the car changed the trajectory of our lives. I can’t imagine what karmic event guided our “wrong” turn so many years ago, but I can’t help but think we must have done something really good to deserve the love and good fortune this area has heaped upon us. I am grateful for it every day of my life.

Thanks, Kim of yesteryear, for that inspiring dose of pure gratitude, truer today than ever. And thanks so much to all of you for joining me here every month to celebrate our community, and for trusting me to answer your real estate questions. As our neighborhood and this column continue to evolve, I expect we’ll all have much cause for gratitude for years to come.

Happy Thanksgiving