I was surfing Swami’s with my friend Riiko last week. As we walked down the steps to the beach we passed a city worker who was power washing the stairs. He stopped spraying to let us pass and I thanked him for letting us get by. But Riiko, as she walked by, said to him “Thank you for your hard work.”. I must say it was an example of a mind set that we have lost touch with in our culture. Namely, the appreciation of labor and a necessary job, performed well. To me it was a thing of beauty and a lesson I will not soon forget. Thank you Riiko and thank you to all the people who work hard to keep our public places working for us.