Thinking

Something interesting is happening. As I approach my one year mark here in NYC the city has begun to lose a bit of it's shine. I'd like to blame it on the weather, this winter business is no joke and has really dug in it's heels. I am so ready to hang up my coats and bust out my summer wardrobe. I am ready to leave my gloves and beanies and scarves at home and not miss them once the sun sets. I think I have an honest to goodness case of cabin fever. At night my dreams are of the countryside or rivers or the ocean and during the day I fantasize about jumping into a car and driving along an open road. It seems funny that one of the things I miss most about California was something I used to complain about--the driving. Lately, however, I have missed the freedom a car affords and I miss the ease with which one could take a short drive and get a complete change of scenery. Here I am limited by where public transportation can take me and I'm starting to feel a little boxed in. Sometimes when a train is delayed for no apparent reason or when it stops between stations or when an express suddenly starts to run local I feel like screaming...or crying. It turns out that life in New York is much like life anywhere. You work, you sleep, you do your laundry and sometimes there's a foot of snow for your morning commute. I guess what has happened is that I have acclimated. And now, like so many other New Yorkers, I am waiting for the bulbs that are just beginning to push through the cold, hard soil to burst into bloom. I know that soon spring will overtake the city and I will fall madly in love with it again. And I can't wait.