It’s still almost Thanksgiving and i’m still feeling thankful.
Only now I am also feeling a little bit frazzled too because the holiday is so close that I can almost taste it.
Today I was ready to stop doing work at approximately 9:04 am. Not a good sign for how tomorrow is going to go. Or the first half of next week.
Just think how checked out i’ll be by Christmas!
Anyway, today I’m thankful for New York City.
I know there is no shortage of love letters written to this city, but that isn’t going to stop me from also writing my own...
This place has taught me so much, made me grow and change and challenge myself. it has inspired me so very much. Living here is now a part of who I am and will always be no matter where i go next. It's an honor to have this last year in new york woven into the story of my life.
One of my favorite things about new york is the bodegas. Not just because they mean every two blocks I am confronted with another opportunity to buy fresh azaleas but because they bring us all together.
I’ve never lived anywhere else where the bodgea was as universally depended upon as it is here.
I am consistently delighted and amazed by the people i see in the one on my corner. I love watching the interactions between the discordant group of people I find each time I visit...
the police officer ordering 2 eggs on a roll and black coffee (makes me squeal with glee, internally. it’s so cliche)
... and the woman in louboutin heels with three mineature dogs trailing her and turning their heads just as she does as she inspects the calorie count on a vita coco
... and the little old lady with her classic little-old-lady-sack over her shoulder who turns to me and shrugs her shoulders and says conspiratorially, “these oranges are terrible!”
They make me so happy. I love being among them each day and feeling part of this new york community.
I had no idea when I set my sights on living here that I'd some day have such an appreciation of a corner store. I moved here with visions of runway shows dancing through my head, and now here I am and what do I love most about this city? Fashion week? No, I love chatting with homeless men in line for coffee at the bodega.
I guess that's what makes this city so captivating. You may be initially drawn in by the glitz and the glamour but once you see past that layer, there is so much more heart and idiosyncrasy and nuance that comes with living with millions of people on a tiny island, all of us just trying to stock up for the day ahead at the corner bodega.