“San Francisco itself is art.
Every block is a short story.
Every hill a novel.
Every home a poem.” 
William Saroyan

A friend pointed out to me the other day that I’ve been blogging quite a bit recently about San Francisco. I hadn’t really given this much thought, but she’s right. She inquired as to why there was such a focus on The City in my writing. Since our conversation, I’ve given this a great deal of thought, and there’s no one answer.

The fact that I’m retired, and that I have the time and energy to venture up to San Francisco on a regular basis, certainly plays a role in this. It also helps that I picked up a Senior Clipper Card, which enables me to ride CalTrain, San Francisco Muni, and even the ferry boats on San Francisco Bay for half-price. Trips to The City, therefore, are affordable. 

Another contributing factor is that it’s summer time. When the temperature here in the Santa Clara Valley warms up beyond my comfort level, I can escape the heat by visiting The City. 

I am also doing quite a bit more walking than I’ve ever done before. In the past, I either didn’t have the time or I lacked the motivation to get out and exercise on a regular basis. My goal each day now is to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps. When I walk in San Francisco, my step-count is more often between 14,000 and 30,000 steps, depending upon the weather, my energy level, and how many people I run into along the way.

Walking in San Francisco, as Armenian-American novelist William Saroyan points out in the quote above, provides a plethora of writing ideas. With each block I walk, and every path I take, thoughts come to mind which are often viable ideas for future blog posts.

For several days after the conversation with my friend, when I contemplated why I was writing more about San Francisco, one word kept coming to mind: buffering. Most of us are familiar with the frustrating experience of waiting for a video to load onto our computer. The little icon appears informing us that the process of buffering is taking place. This, however, is only one understanding of the term.

Jean Moroney, president of an organization called Thinking Directions, offers a different understanding of the term. She explains that buffering means “doing a pleasurable activity to avoid feeling negative feelings about something else.”  

For some, this understanding of the process of buffering involves alcohol or drugs. Others might rely on any number of other addictions to buffer the pain of life’s challenges — eating, gambling, binge TV watching, video gaming, shopping, etc. Each person is charged with their own strategy for coping with the struggles in life that cause them distress.

Buffering strategies I employ to avoid negative feelings about someone or something include walking, writing, reading, sleeping, listening to either music or podcasts, and prayer. A change in venue is also helpful, so my visits to San Francisco provide the time and environment I need to do this. A little ice cream now and then helps, too.