California Adventure: Berkeley

Berkeley is my kinda town.

Possibly because it reminds me so much of Bellingham

and possibly because I'm a closet hippie.

People there eat organic and locally grown.

They recycle and compost.

They cherish the small business.

And Chacos and the North Face are ever abundant.

We were put up for the night by Taylor's our dear friend Aspen.

She lives in a co-op (yet another reason why I love this place).

Basically a co-op is an alternative to the traditional college apartment/dorm

where each resident is given a room in an old renovated building.

They share bathrooms
and a large common area on the main floor.

And they cook together in their industrial style kitchen.

(In which, we whipped up a batch of magical 60% cocoa ghirardelli cookies!) 

Tay and I made some new friends.

And learned some lessons too.

Namely, the importance of being kind

in all situations 
and to all people you encounter.

See, Aspen took us to the Cheeseboard,

a quaint little pizza joint famous among the locals.

At first I was discouraged because the line was literally 

out the door and around the corner

and I was STARVING.

But, we waited...

because thin crust pizza topped with glazed onions, feta, mozzarella, corn, and pesto

sounded far to good to pass up.

We were nearly to the front

when a (slightly drunk) middle-aged woman asked what she could do to cut us in line.

Although it could have been annoying and an inconvenience,

 we let her in.

Because I understand what it is like to be in a hurry while others are depending on you.
To be tired from a long day of work,
and to want nothing less than to be at the end of a mile-long line.

Then this woman up and bought our pizza!

All twenty dollars of it!

(which for a poor college student is probably the best thing that could ever, ever happen!) 

Moral of the story:
Be kind. 
Be considerate. 
And always give people the benefit of the doubt.
Because you never knew when a fleck of kindness might change another's disposition,
or what sort of unexpected reward you have in store!

On the way out of town
we made a quick visit to the Oakland temple.
Perfect end to a perfect stay in Berkeley!

Oh Happy Happy Life!