The Glass is Half-Full

Now I will try to count my blessings and be more positive…

1. I cut my own hair watching a YouTube video. I literally just did this after complaining about it below!
2. It takes me 3 minutes to get to work in my golf cart.
3. The quiet atmosphere does help me think better (until I can’t stand it anymore).
4. I can go home for lunch everyday if I wanted to.
5. Sometimes I am treated like a princess when I go out. Yesterday, 3 men working in the cafeteria went out of their way to show me the different food options. One even pushed the another aside and stopped serving the gentleman in front of me to serve me food. Embarrassing.
6. I am a novelty…they are not used to seeing western women.
7. I am now considered a “western woman.”
8. I was told going through customs in Bahrain last weekend was a breeze because I was in the car…they don’t like to mess with women, it makes them nervous. They see you and clear you through. KNOCK on wood, let’s see if his theory holds up next weekend.
9. Living in Ras Tanura is greener than 90% of the rest of SA and there is a beach and yacht club.
10. I have met people who have gone out of their way to be nice to me, and check up on me. Out of the blue I will get a text, “been thinking of you, how are you, etc.” I remember when my grandfather would talk about people who would give you the shirt of his back…that is how I feel about some of the people here.
11. there are never long lines at the commissary. I can literally go, shop (go through EVERY aisle), and be back in less than 30 minutes.
12. My clothes weren’t ruined at the “if-y” dry cleaner last week!
13. Yoga here is great and not so expensive
14. I have a house-boy from Bangladesh. He not only cleans my house but he has gone out of his way to search for geckos, fixed things that I would have had to call maintenance for, straightens and lines up all my shoes nicely in my closet, and if I leave laundry in the washer (which is all the time) puts it in the dryer for me. OR, if it happens to be in dryer will fold it for me!
15. I now have a gardener, and for the past two days…KNOCK on wood I have had less ants (and other things) in my house. He’s brought nice plants and has created an interesting border out of ‘stuff’-now that is creativity.
16. I got rid of the BS cell plan here and took control of my phone plan and went back to Verizon! Never in my life have I put good thoughts and Verizon together. Today I can!
17. I don’t have to cook dinner, last night I had cheese and crackers for dinner.
18. I only have to pick up after myself.
19. The TRX trainer is a total badass but is nice and complimentary about your form (or in my case lack of form)-and she is 3 minutes away at the gym.
20. There are NOOOOO traffic jams in Ras Tanura.