9.10.2026 | 1:57pm | New York, NY
Everytime my feet hit the pavement here, a certain calm washes over me.
I contemplate a lot of things in my life, but New York has never really been one of them. It always has been, and always will be a part of me.
People are loud and real.
It’s a city full of audacity.
This morning, there was a woman screaming at the top of her lungs outside the coffee shop I was doing work at – it was all of 10 in the morning and she was very obviously not happy with her boyfriend/husband/ who knows. And although I know nothing more of the situation other than the remarks she exclaimed – I found myself being super reflective in that moment…
Of course everyone on the street heard her business, and at the same time, of course none of us blinked an eye or looked her way. But that’s the thing about this city… it lets you have your moments – and let me tell you… there are moments to be had. We’ve all shed a tear or two on the subway, or received a phone call that made us raise our voice a little more than usual. And although there is a crowd of people who may tell you that she never should’ve had that screaming match on the street – that it was inappropriate or crazy – I couldn’t help but smile a little on the inside.
Although I am sorry for whatever she was experiencing, that moment was a perfect depiction of life. Social media and the world we live in today often has a way of showing the highlight reel. When you’re asked – “how was your day?” – the only acceptable response is “Good!” or “Fine.”. God forbid you sigh a little and say it was a not so great day… I’ve had times where I’ve done that – where I was honest – and people didn’t know how to react. Their eyes would widen a little bit at my out of the box answer to such a question.
New York is a city where you will pass a couple kissing goodbye on the corner, and witness a stern conversation over the phone on the next. Anything and everything is happening, the good, the bad, the complicated – all at once.
And that’s life…
Joy and struggle, excitement and failures, love and arguments – it’s all a part of it…
New York just has the audacity to be honest about it.
Maybe we should too…
