Gratitude 7: Thank the Places You've Been

I'm not a consummate traveler. I haven't been to Europe, Africa, Canada, South America, Central America, Australia and many, many Asian countries. I have visited a few Caribbean islands and a couple places in Mexico on vacations. All of these destinies hold special memories of the people, the sights, the food (!), and the culture. I am thankful that these vacations were packed with adventures that I'll never forget.

My husband has visited 49 U.S. states when he was a musician. He describes these visits as traveling on a bus or van, watching the scenery go by, playing a gig at a venue, and sleeping. He was lucky to actually experience some of these places.

While I haven't been to many U.S. states, my experiences have been as adventurous as vacations outside of the U.S. For my job, I've been to meetings and conferences in Bellevue, Washington; Tempe, Arizona; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Las Vegas, Nevada; Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina and Denver, Colorado. Luckily, for each of these trips, I was able to step outside of the work environment and explore the cities - sometimes, for weeks. In many cases, a proud co-worker has given me a tour of the highlights of the city or introduced me to a great restaurant. (I can't tell you how often my husband and I have attended a technical conference in Las Vegas. At one time, we were so familiar with every buffet and hotel lobby there!)

We've visited family in Glendale, Arizona (close to Phoenix) and Portland, Oregon. We were lucky to go exploring throughout the city to find places to eat and shop.

Then, there are vacations to lovely places in the U.S. In my twenties, I visited New Orleans, Louisiana for a business trip and later to attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. We did a little sight-seeing and I've always wanted to go back to experience the Cajun heritage. In my thirties, I skied at Alta, Deer Valley, and Snowbird resorts in Utah and at Aspen, Snowmass and Vail resorts in Colorado. My husband and I later visited Park City, Utah to ski with friends. (Ski trips are fun but too tiring to explore anything other than the ski resorts. While the resorts were interesting, it would have been nice to see these places at different times.) Our vacations in our forties were on the islands of Oahu and Maui, Hawaii. We packed our trips with visits to the beaches, historical places, art centers, lush nature areas, and, of course, restaurants everywhere.

My favorite place I've visited in the U.S. is Seattle, Washington. Bainbridge Island and the Puget Sound are beautiful and pristine. Shopping in downtown Seattle and at Pike Place tweaked my intended budget and the food! There's nothing like perfect, fresh seafood!

I am thankful for the opportunity to visit each of these places at the right times in my life.

California was my pre-destined home. I have lived in Japan (when I was a child so my memories of Japan are faint) but, when we arrived in California, it became home for over 50 years. As an adult, I marvel at the riches of this state. One can go to the mountains where it's snowing and the desert where it's scorching hot and, finally, the beach where it's balmy in one day. I've lived in Edwards, Riverside, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Newhall. Rancho Cucamonga has been our home city for over 30 years and it suits us. It's well-planned and safe. It has great shopping places for pretty much everything except Japanese foods. Best of all, I'm very close to my sister, her daughter and her daughter's husband.

I'm grateful to find a home in my neighborhood (although, I must admit my sister's neighborhood is pretty great, too). There are trees everywhere and walking paths that meander through the trees. It's quiet and peaceful.

But what I'm most grateful for is the nooks in our house. Everyday, I have a special place to create, rest, read, think, play with the dog, write, pay bills and cook. The house is my comfort zone. I am at peace.

Reflect on the richness of the places you've visited or lived. Recall the smells, tastes and sounds of the adventures you've had and be thankful for those experiences.