The Kingston Adventure (part 2): Being Thankful

First of all, no worries, you didn’t miss the first part of this story. I decided to stat with the second chapter.

A new city, a new job and a new life during the Covid era. I underestimated how complicated this move would be. When I accepted the new job in Kingston, I thought we’d find an apartment right away. I was so naive!

The adventure began with booking AirBnBs and buses to get back to Toronto on the weekends until we found an apartment. The plan seemed easy, but I never considered that during Covid times, AirBnB hosts wouldn’t allow kitchen access. Restaurants were closed, and honestly, I was not going to order Uber Eats for every single meal.

In case you were wondering what I had for breakfast and dinner those weeks.

Every Monday, still during a partial lockdown, I took the 6 a.m. bus from Toronto to Kingston. I spent the day at work, and in the afternoon/evening, I relied on Google Maps to move around the new city, carrying my suitcase, laptop, and a grocery bag with non-perishable food for the whole week. Exhausting!

One of those Mondays, I ended up staying in a hotel, frustrated after discovering that the AirBnB I booked didn’t exist. After calling customer service to report the scam, I unsuccessfully tried to rest. Of course my brain preferred to stay up late, continuing to rant and curse!

Determined not to end the night fuming, I started thinking about things I was thankful for. While it’s easier to recall these on a good day, I found it just as important on a terrible one. It can save us from major drama, help cool our minds, and guide us toward finding a solution to the problem we’re facing.

So, may this be a reminder of this strategy that after such an upsetting experience allowed me to get some sleep and recover my peace of mind: Simply focusing for a few minutes on the reasons to considering myself fortunate.

That night I valued even more my HOME, which at that moment, was the place where I had free access to EVERYTHING, where I was in charge of doing the dishes, and where Mr. A and our two furry friends were.