Maintaining Gratitude
(originally posted on 18 Oct 2022)
As mentioned, we are staying in a very small village in Co. Wicklow. This is a huge difference from living in the middle of a city. In Seattle, our apartment overlooked a busy intersection. I called it the Valley of the Sirens, for all the ambulances coming and going at all hours.
The only sound here is from the Red Kites wheeling overhead, other many small birds, and bugs. There is a quiet commuter train that zooms past six times a day during the week. And then there are the various household appliances in use: the whirl of the clothes washer, the squeak of the clothes dryer, the dull roar of the fireplace, and so on. Otherwise, it is so quiet. Almost too quiet. We need to have music on most of the time while working.
Yesterday was my husband’s 55th birthday. The day before we were able to get a bus to a nearby lodge to enjoy a hot dinner together. I had roast lamb with a half dozen root vegetables, and he had a vegan pasta dish (but with parmesan, because he’s not vegan). We enjoyed two old-fashioned cocktails, which are harder to find than you would imagine.
Yesterday’s plans did not work out, however. One bus comes through here, but only twice a day. The second trip was canceled. This meant we could leave but would need to find an expensive and rare taxi back. Or hitchhike. We walked into the village instead, hoping to get an early dinner at the café. But the café was already closed, having recently adjusted its hours to account for the energy crisis. We crossed the street to the one shop and were thankful that their deli was still open. So, we ordered two ham and cheese melts for take-out. While we waited, we got to talking to the shopkeepers.
That is what you do here. You talk to people. Which, being introverts from the city, is totally alien to us. But we were with skilled talkers. Soon we were laughing through our respective predicaments. Ours being what it is, and theirs dealing with an electric bill that went from €1,000 to €2,400 a month. I do not envy them. They joked that since we were from Seattle, we should pay €10 more for the sandwiches. I was tempted to let them. Regardless, I was grateful for their cheer despite all.
We took our sandwiches to the neighboring park and sat on a picnic bench. We ate our hot meal while enjoying the view (the photo here). Afterward, we retired to the pub for a pint and a shot of Black Bush. An unusual crowd of Monday night revelers was already there, well into their craic. We enjoyed ourselves and it was a happy birthday after all.
~Liriel