“I’m having good Karma…”

I visited my daughter and her fiance this week….not to mention my 2nd youngest sister…in the city of Vancouver.

Vancouver is a pretty city ( although a bit more hilly  then my underconditioned body would prefer…I spent alot of hours walking uphill, dragging my 40 pound ass along like a bedraggled fanny pack). The climate is very temperate, and there were daffodils and lily of the valley  starting to bloom this week, as if January were really a ‘Spring ‘ month. Just a ferry, bus ride, and cable car away is some of the most beautiful ,mountainous, snowy terrain that Canada has to offer.

Ocean and mountain….sand and snow.

Vancouver is ethnically diverse, and the people-watching was very pleasant….such a mix of faces and languages, sights and smells. My first night, my family and I went to a very congenial Thai restaurant, owned by a man named Kam…I had the black pepper  prawns and coconut rice. At the end of the meal, Mr Kam stopped by our table, and identified my sister, daughter, and her fiance as regular customers, and then welcomed me. When he learned that I was visiting from New York, he offered me a gift… an umbrella.  If you’ve ever visted Vancouver, you’ll know that an umbrella is a most thoughtful and practical gift. I was very touched by Mr. Kam’s kind manner, and I hope many good things happen for him, although I don’t think he needs my wishes…..he gets back what he puts out.

Later that night, we went to a local bar . I made several forays out onto the street in order to qwell my nicotene cravings, and met alot of different people, and had some fun conversations…. one time I went out, some young American guy asked me for a cigarette and a  light, and started to warn me about some local cafe, where his back pack had been stolen, leaving him short of credit cards, cash, and a passport. He asked me for a donation to ‘help him get to his hotel’. I figured it was a con, but maybe it wasn’t…in any case, there were many young street people in Vancouver….in fact, I haven’t seen so many people living in the streets since the early 80’s in New York. I gave him $5 and a half a pack of cigarettes…because I had extra, and  because he had none. He said ” This is Karma…I’m having Good Karma…”. I said “Me too”, and wished him luck.

After a brief visit, where I found the young princess_jones most fit and happy, but worried about the difficulty of getting a ‘good job’ ( she has started to get some promising leads from a recommendation she got from her New York city film experience, and has had several days work as a PA on a TV show), I caught my return flight to Toronto, where I had sent out feelers to one of my Open Diary favourites, hoping to meet up with her.

I don’t know how many of you read MJ+, but she is a regular poster, writing daily accounts of her life. She is also a published writer of a book called ‘Summer Burns’. I admire her discipline in writing daily, and her funny and insightful character studies.

MJ and I met up in Toronto ( at my instigation), and in spite of the many photos she has posted at her site, I was very surprised at how wonderfully green her eyes were…her photos don’t really do her justice, because she is much more attractive than they show ( although she looks very pretty in them). We went to her house, and had a nice hot pot of tea, and I met her son, Elmo. MJ has a nice and easy style of mothering, and her home is warm and interesting…I really appreciated the eclectic decorating choices, and the comfortable ambiance of her home.

We met up with her husband after going out for Thai food ( more good Karma…the curry chicken was tender and tasty, and served by laughing women… MJ likes to support the local independent merchants as opposed to the chains, and I know my daughter would love her for that sensibility alone….I liked the way MJ spoke with her son, and the natural ways he has. It was a very pleasant time) MJ’s husband talks quickly, in bursts, and he is very astute…he has interesting insights, and delivers them in a staccato fashion, and then moves on to other topics, and then pauses for intervals, but it’s all interrelated…I can appreciate MJ’s fondness for him.

In all, it was very interesting week, but I find myself more and more being an ‘onlooker’ on things…. I watch, and take in details, but have very little to offer in return…just small gifts of my benign intent maybe.

I am having Good Karma….and I wish the same for you.