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Going to the orthodontist always puts me in a good mood. Probably because my Dr.'s wife, who's also the receptionist, is so nice and we always talk for a while after I get my braces adjusted. She gives me so many compliments, which makes me feel really good about myself since I have low self esteem...
And when I leave the office, I'm always happy for quite some time, which is a little hard for me, since I'm usually melancholy and contemplative.

While I was waiting to be seen, I took a quick walk down the street to the drug store for a drink. It was dark out and everything was lit up and pretty, and the air was cold and crisp. I haven't been out for a while, not since Greg and I used to take walks around his block. I like taking walks, even when it's chilly out...something about it is so calming and right...
And I had this flashback...the times I used to run around the neighborhood with my friends when I was 11 or 12 and lived in Southwest Philly. It was the dead of winter, and I had this horrendous Starter jacket on with the hidden pocket on the inside that I'd hide my walkman in. We'd go everywhere and nowhere, ending up nowhere--back at the start--in the freezing cold, going up to 7-11 for some hot chocolate to keep warm tho nothing ever warmed us enough on those cold nights...not the lights of the city, or the heavy Starter and South Pole jackets, or the hot drinks or KFC mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese...no layers of clothes, just jeans and sneakers and no gloves, hats or scarves...and when I'd return home later that night, the warmth of the house would make my cold glasses fog over.

No walls--just streets, stars and open air...
All I'd ever need.