NYC

This morning I returned from a visit to New York City. What a place. The city is a different world than everything else I'm used to. Space and proportion and motion all take on radically new meanings in that pile of structures and sounds and lights and people. Up here in the simple country I can expect to enter a restaurant without contorting through a crowd; I can expect to pass recognizable faces on the street; I can expect to hear a car rumble by every few minutes; and most of all, here I can expect not to see anything that surprises me. I tried not to be rude, but in the city, I felt like every person I saw was a fascination to me. What is that one like? What makes him dress that was? Why is her face so sad? I almost had to catch my breath, walking those wide sidewalks brushing past so many individual faces. Thinking about the size of all those people's lives and stories all at once made my head spin. And it still does, as I remember they still exist--all in different places than when I saw them, all at their jobs or asleep in their beds or full of pain or joy.

It was a fun trip. I had some good time for conversation with friends, ate some good food, and felt the strain of relaxation and sightseeing as we tried to coordinate 3 or 5 or 7 people's schedules. Thank goodness for cell phones. Thank goodness for friends who know the subway system and the good places to eat. And thanks to Kwabena for letting me stay on his futon.

I'll have pictures soon here