Hello readers! Allow me this moment to appreciate your reading, truly it makes me feel loved. Because, as I told Ken, one of the ways I think I'm made in God's image is that I have a desire to be known.
So as I sit feet-up on Brigid's couch, her baby asleep in the next room, exhale, and finger-tap, it's time to recollect what I want to share. Now that I'm really into blogging, stuff will happen to me or I'll have a particular thought and immediately want to blog. So, you're all on my mind, what I want to show and tell you.
First off, NYC. Part of my heart rests here. I can tell by the way I feel: relaxed, at home, purposeful, awake. Staying with Juanita has been such a blessing! Though I have loved all my previous hostesses and their families and homes, somehow, being with this sister in her studio, a few feet from her pet rabbit's cage, pigeons cooing on the A/C, I'm so comfortable. It's amazing.
She lives in Queens, not Brooklyn where I lived most of my eight years here, and treated me to a lovely dinner at La Flor the night I got in.
The next day I ran errands, including ordering my bridesmaid dress for Grisel's wedding coming up Memorial Day weekend--one reason I didn't buy the Round the World Ticket, for all you wondering 'why not'. Then I met up with Anna who has taught me to say "I don't speak Polish" in Polish--this will be a helpful party trick next month in Warsaw. She is an aspiring furniture designer. And I had another yummy snack with her at Doma Cafe where I felt very uncool. I'm consoled by knowing I limited myself to three pairs of shoes for a two-continent, 10-state trip.
Saturday, Juany and I headed to Brooklyn for breakfast at Tom's, where the waitstaff remember me and ask how I'm doing even though they see hundreds of diners in the average morning. Love that. Juanita loves the lemon butter. I chatted with a young french woman who was visiting Brooklyn and directed her to Vanderbilt for more shopping. Nothing is more validating to me as an ex-New Yorker than helping visitors find their way. I want people to enjoy the city as much as I do.
At Joyce Bakeshop, where I was so full I could only finish half the banana bread pudding, I reconnected with Karin. Last time we saw each other was in Olivia, MN on my cross-country drive from NYC to WA. She's doing great, making a living and vocation by writing. It was nice. She smelled like oysters because the sweater she was wearing had soaked up some Massachusetts coast air during a recent getaway.
She walked us up to the Brooklyn Public Library where we parted ways to wifi and read. Juany and I then met a Wellesley classmate Wendy on the Promenade where we goofed around to Dumbo. Wendy, like Karin, is employed and hanging in there. She helped me find organic baby skin products for Karen whom I'll be seeing soon in Turkey. She also treated me and Juanita to hot chocolates at Jacques Torres. It's amazing that I weigh the same as when I left Richland.
If that wasn't enough, Juany and I went to meet her ex-roommate Brigid (whose apartment I'm now in and whose mini Acer I'm using) and her little baby for Italian dinner at their favorite spot Donato's. [Website needs a little help so if you've been clicking through, don't judge by the site. They're clearly putting more effort into their food.]
And that was just Saturday! I love NYC.
Sunday, I attended 10AM and 3PM at my beloved Times Square Church (TSC). Had lunch with Suansee at some Thai place (I forgot the name) and then sat in a corner park with her and Tiffany sipping lattes and avoiding pigeons. That evening I tried a new church, the Gallery wonderfully suggested to me by Jessica. God used TSC in a major way to get me back to Him, but it's neat to go to a church like Gallery and chat with the pastor by the time service starts and meet several other people by the end. I even met another blogger and heard her fantastic story of how she wound up in New York.
A different Jessica treated me to dinner at Momofuku [steamed buns--very tasty, like Peking Duck only with pork) where we were thankful to not be on the stools but rather the low seats. I've known Jess since my first year at college, and we've stayed in fairly good touch since--we lived near each other in Brooklyn for a while and then towards the later years of my NY time, had dinner often. She and her family are dear to me. As she said: it's nice to have a friend you can look slobby with. (Not that she looked bad, she looked great, just casual--I'm west coastified now.) We caught up on each others lives, she's happy to have her job as an attorney and also wondering if it's what she wants to do. Good thoughts, IMO.
The next day, I caught a morning flight to Ft. Myers, FL where Ken's lovely wife Julie and her mother Mary picked me up from the airport and whisked me over the causeway to Sanibel Island, i.e. paradise. Man, it is beautiful there. I will post photos. Ken is my only male friend from college--he is still the stagecraft instructor at Wellesley. But his Real Life is on Sanibel where he recently bought a restaurant with his buddy Richard, the Sanibel Cafe. After a quick stop at Mary's condo, Jules and I went to the Cafe and had lunch. Chicken salad with dill and grapes, yum. Ken and I rode bicycles to the beach and watched the waves and talked about Real Life according to him, me, the bible, and as nature evidences. I have always admired and continue to Ken's pursuit of life. He is one of my favorite persons and I have learned much from him.
Tuesday, Sanibel Cafe had a new hostess: me! My first try at restaurant work and it was great: messy, hurried, theatrical, profitable, and (best of all) temporary, because, as my small glimpse provided, it is above all exhausting!
Julie and Ken were off Wednesday so we got a slow start after breakfast ala Julie and coffee ala Mary to Captiva where I soaked up some sun, read the book I got at Noah's Ark (Julie's favorite spot on the island) by local author Randy Wayne White, watched pelicans and dolphins(!) and a man persist in flying a kite despite the lost interest of his grandson. Julie likes eagles and I like wildflowers so our ride back took a bit, we can cite the headwind. From a hot, breezeless footbridge spanning the Sanibel River, we saw wrens and a baby alligator(!!). Outside the hotel where we stopped for a poolside drink with a view of the ocean, Ken dug up an aloe vera plant to treat our sunburns. Wonderful. Evidence of the Creator. The Perfect Ego, as I said to Ken.
I woke to Mary's: it's 4 o'clock! Yes, I booked a 6AM flight for some now-silly $-saving reason. Jetblue isn't charging for the 1st checked bag, thankfully. Back in (cold) New York, I took a short nap and then met Tiffany for late lunch at Excellent Dumpling House. [If you visit the site, I ordered what's shown in the 2nd picture.] Our plan was to take the ferry to Ellis Island but when we got to the ticket booth, it was sold out. Bummer. Or so we thought. We walked across Battery Park to the Starbucks and caffeinated. And in so doing had the best conversation. Counseling is paying off! (see previous post re: angst) We overcame some fear in pushing certain topics and it was great! She's looking for co-visionaries in a movement. I'm unsure how to proceed yet hopeful. And within 24 hours, we both received relationship-building interactions. That's as detailed as I'm going to get. Suffice to say: Yea and Amen. Or, Yay and Amen.
In the evening, I surprised Loretta and Lisa/Patron by showing up to rehearsal for The Gate, the Friday night youth rally held weekly at TSC. I got home later than expected but it was refreshing to be with folks who depend on the Holy Spirit to work, cover, and move. Rode the 7 train with one of the actors who, earlier in the night, said she thought I was younger than her. Excellent, as she's just a year out of college.
Friday, it wasn't raining but sunny. Perfect for Tiffany and my actual trip to Ellis Island. Tourists. Exhibits. Black and white photos. More pigeons. Ferries. We skipped the Statue of Liberty (I've already been there) but I got some good photos of her.
###
Ok, Brigid and Juanita are back from Target. I gotta go. Four days left to recount and I'll be current. Except for photos.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment