Can 10 Pence Buy Happiness?

Yes! At least for today. I have been out riding around Oxford for the last two hours and it has been pretty dark and dreary this afternoon. I guess it was about time for it to start looking like England, but the sun has been great too. So I was in some more downscale areas of Oxford on my bike, avoiding cars and trying to figure out which side of the road to ride on and was getting a little bit pessimistic. I guess I really love the suburbs of America, but being in the less afluent areas of town made me kind of depressed - I was wondering if I would be called to serve in an area like this and if I could enjoy it there. I know it is a bit shallow, but run down houses and neighbourhoods are not totally my thing, and who knows where I will be ministering when I leave here? So everything was a bit blue.

Then I went to the post office, which is totally different than the States because they are more like local market stores. And me prefered one is on a street close to Wycliffe called North Parade (see below, the store is on the right).

The great part about this post office is that it feels more like an olde tymme corner store. There is always the same middle age friendly man working at the counter, really helpful and pleasant. Plus they have a ton of candy, including a lot of gummi ones you can buy individually or put a few in a bag. I went for a cola bottle (10 p) and imagined it was a nice summer day at the beach in Canada where I spent a bit of my childhood. Great. I guess I just needed to appreciate the little things more and know that no matter where I end up, there will always be something to cheer me up. Even for 10 p.

P.S. If you found this post vacuous, look out for an upcoming one on cessation of tongues. Big issue here!