Gypsy Death and You
“The sky is grey, the sand is grey, and the ocean is grey. And I feel right at home in this stunning monochrome, alone in my way.” - Ani DiFranco
It’s one of those days where your heart just feels heavy, and you feel like you might just start crying. I stepped out for lunch and the sky was feeling my pain, it was heavy and cloudy and thick, like it wanted to rain but didn’t know how, or didn’t have the energy, or didn’t want its mascara to run when it has work to do.
And my heart still felt heavy, but my perspective was much more positive than it could have been anywhere else in the world. New York is the only place to be when you’re feeling lost and lonely. You know that you can quietly move through the mayhem, as invisible as you’d like, or else you can put on your silver shoes and your mini dress and strut ‘til you get your groove back.
Plus, you know around every corner there are a dozen lonelier people than you, a dozen broker people than you, a dozen people who get paid better than you but hate their jobs. And if you dare take your eyes off the ground, you should know that there are plenty of people who will smile if you make eye contact.
I say people who call New York a rude city are probably rude themselves, or else have never been here. New York is the kindest place there is, because nobody is going to tell you not to do what feels right to you. You’re not being ignored, you’re being given the opportunity to come entirely into your own, unjudged and at your own pace.
And when you’re having a grey sky day, whatever you need is waiting for you, whether it’s a jazz club or a bottle of wine or just endless streets through which you can wander unperturbed.
GOD BLESS NEW YORK.
—AG
