Well, I have never blogged before, but a cool new friend suggested I start, so I figured I would give it a try... I am not sure what my goal is with this blog, but I guess it is just to have a place to write about what is going on in my life, the country, the world... We'll see how it develops.
Right now let me share my day with you: after transitioning from hot summer weather through most of October straight into cold, rainy almost-winter (well, winter by NYC standards, not Vermont standards), we finally had a beautiful fall day. It was sunny and 60 degrees, warm enough for a tee-shirt but cooling off quickly towards the end of the day. My friend Kari and I went for a walk in Central Park and ended up by the lake listening to a guy play original songs, as well as James Taylor, The Band, Cat Stevens, etc covers for a crowd of people gathered on the hill. As we were sitting there, the sun was setting behind us, the autumn light gleaming off the lake (between the seemingly countless numbers of rowboats-- have you ever noticed that in movies they make boating in Central Park seem to be this romantic, personal experience, but in reality it is way too many boats crowed onto a very small, humanmade lake), but because of the reflection from the tall buildings of midtown, the light seemed to be coming from the East. The musician pointed this amazing contradiction to us, commenting that it seemed to him as if he was looking out at a crowd of people at sunrise.
This made me think of other sunrises I've experienced-- From the chilly morning at the Grand Canyon with my family, to Waikiki Beach with my friend Raina, to sitting by myself on a rock beside Maidstone Lake in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, reading Barbara Kingsolver and writing in my journal. As someone who can easily sleep 'till noon on a weekend, sunrises are that much more special because they are few and far between. And waking up at 6:00 and walking to the train with the sun rising behind you over the East River is not exactly the same thing...
Anyway, back to the park. These are the New York days I love, the moments when you feel a connection to the strangers sitting next to you, the grass under you, and for that moment you feel like New York City is just a small part of the much larger universe. I cherish these days because the rest of the time the city seems so huge, so overwhelmingly busy and impersonal.
That's all for tonight... more later.
