I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
Be stubborn about where you’re going and open about the paths you take to get there. There will be bumps, falls, scrapes, and bruises along the way. Those are not reasons to abandon the journey. They’re there to show you just how much the destination means to you. And when you look back on that long road, those mishaps will be the moments that taught you the most.
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” ~ Chinese proverb
Change can knock us down, and it can also provide the fuel we need to transform into our best selves. It makes us stronger, kinder, more empathic, and give us insights that our regular routines can’t provide. When I take a step back from my troubles, I get perspective that helps me see the possibilities that reveal themselves during tough times.
Exactly as Phin and I crossed Central Park to begin moving into our new apartment, the sun began to part the clouds after days of torrential rain and months of intense uncertainty. My first thoughts was, “You’ve gotta be kidding me, Mother Nature.” She wasn’t kidding; she can be so cliché and I’ve never loved a cliché more than I did at that moment. The lesson wasn’t lost on me: eventually the light always returns and we have the right to bask in it.
This apartment search has been a tough journey, and a good one. I feel stronger, braver, and more open to change as a result of it. I learned what was important, and what wasn’t. Best of all, I realized just how many incredible people I have in my life. Thank you all for sharing in this journey and being a part of the solution. You’re welcome to visit any time and help me explore my new neighborhood. Actually, I insist. Tomorrow my blog returns to its regularly scheduled programming of inspiration and encouragement. Today I’m spending the day saying thank you, for everything.
Today Phin and I will be movin’ on up in the true style of the Jeffersons. We’ll trek across the park to the Upper East Side to sublet from our lovely, kind, and incredibly generous friend, AraBella. After reading about our heinous apartment search via Facebook, she took pity on us after one hell of a crazy experience that showed me just how brutal the New York City real estate market has become. We’re so incredibly grateful to her!
New York City is changing a lot; I’m changing a lot. I never thought I’d want to own real estate. Now I know being a homeowner of some kind, somewhere, is in my future. Being at the mercy of a landlord every year is just not the way I want to live anymore. So now the question is where will this home be, and when will I get there. I have no idea what the answer is but at least I am clear on the question, and that’s half the battle, right?
In the meantime, Phin and I have a lot of exploring to do. We’re going to have to find our way around and develop some new routines. He’ll come through it like a champ; he always does. Me? Well, that remains to be seen. I’m going to let him lead. He’s got a better (and bigger) nose than I do. Luckily, we have a number of friends in our new neck of the woods and we’re hoping they will give us the inside scoop on everything wonderful around our new digs.
Here’s to change and everything that it has to teach us!
The Upper West Side of Manhattan has been my home for almost 7 years and I have loved it here. The community, the peace, the people. It was always my dream to live in this neighborhood. This was always my New York. I learned so much here, about myself and about the world. This is a time that I will always be grateful for, a time that I will always remember with a lot of affection. It wasn’t always easy, though I wouldn’t trade a day of it for anything. As my friend, Moya, recently said, “This is the end of an era.” She’s right.
Of course, I’ll be back. I still teach my yoga class for seniors over here every week. I have a feeling Phin might continue to want to trot over here on our walks now and then to say hi to our old building’s staff with whom he shares a close bond—mostly because they adore him and he loves the treats they always have for him! However, it won’t ever be the same. I’m closing the book on this chapter, and there’s some sadness in that. I’m comfortable here. I love my life here. If I could, I’d stay. But I can’t, so I won’t. I’ll miss it, a lot. I miss it already.
To be honest, I’m not ready. And to be even more honest, the universe doesn’t care that I’m not ready. It’s decided that I will start a new journey now and it won’t tell me exactly where I’m going. Just that I’m taking a trip.
Alright, universe. I hear you. I’ll go. Show me what it is you have to show me. Teach me what it is you have to teach me. In your own twisted way, you’ll lead me to exactly the place I’m meant to be. Just let Phin and I take one more spin around this afternoon. Let us walk by all our favorite haunts and greet all our neighbors as we’ve done so many times for so many years.
Thanks for the memories, Upper West Side. We’ve loved playing our part in your history, and we’ve loved having you as a part of ours. It’s a place we will not soon forget.
My habits are being shaken to the core right now: I’m moving to a new apartment in a new neighborhood and my workload and career are shifting. My play, Sing After Storms, is about to go into rehearsal, and that will drastically change my schedule. I have the feeling that I’m at the start of a very exciting and very long journey, and I don’t know exactly where it will lead nor what turns in the road to expect. I do know that I will have to navigate it purposefully and by intent. 3 cheers for self-made change!
Is there anything better than the exhilaration we feel when we stand in the light of possibility? Yes, there is. It’s called getting things done. Possibility is at our doorstep every single day so grab it. Chase down that dream.
I’ve been talking to a lot of friends about big life changes. Moving, relationships, jobs, creative projects. It’s too easy to say, “I’ll get to that later.” Later never arrives. If you have something you really want to do, something you want to try, take the plunge. Give it a whirl. Grab the opportunity. There’s no good reason to put off anything you really want to do. You deserve the very best shot at exactly the life you want. I support anyone and everyone willing to take any kind of chance. Go for it!
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain
Celebrate your birthday and celebrate the day when you find your calling; they are equally important. The first is destiny and dictated by Nature; the second is a choice only you can make.
Don’t worry about the storms ahead. The winds are always on the side of the ablest navigator. Sail on.
