Good
afternoon, Friday.
I've never been one for dates to remember. Sure I remember my birthday but I'm not one to canonize dates of importance in my life- for instance, on the day my father died I certainly celebrate and remember him in my mind, but my way to heal and get through the pain was to tell myself that it's "just another day". To put so much meaning around it always gave me anxiety, and to treat it (as time went on) as a normal day helped me to feel normal.
But this day is different. It's different for so many of us, and most likely all of us.
I can't ever forget and will never forget this day, 14 years ago, as I stood and watched so much agony, confusion, and loss all around me. I can't forget what happened in this city. And even though time has passed, it has healed us to a point, but somehow, this day is hard every year.
As I scrolled my Facebook feed this morning, many of my friends felt the same way. And many of them thanked the people who lost their lives while trying to help others. I was particularly moved, as I often am, by the stories of the rescue dogs, who reported for duty and did their jobs in the face of so much uncertainty and death.
Today, I'd like to thank my city, this city that has made me the person I am today.
Today, I thank New York, for all it has given me, for all that it continues to give me, and for what I hope it will always provide for so many others and me who came here to be themselves, succeed, and thrive in the best city in the world. It's a city that has changed tremendously in 14 years, but it is still my favorite place, my happy place, and my every place.
I thank New York for letting me be a member of the only club I've ever found worth joining. I was not born here, but I am a New Yorker. No matter where I go, I will always belong to you.
I thank New York for always keeping me on my toes. For introducing me to the greatest friends a person could have. For providing the backdrop for falling in love with my wonderful husband. For charmed walks through my Brooklyn neighborhood with my beloved dog.
I thank New York for putting up with my indecision, my cravings for Chinese food at midnight, and my need to find the perfect thing to wear an hour before an event.
I thank this city, my city, for providing the ups and downs of a meaningful, well-intentioned life, where sometimes you are down on your luck and then you take a walk up Madison Avenue in the 70s and somehow feel better.
I thank this city for growing with me, changing with me, and participating in my need to be around people who challenge me and shock me with their sheer force and smarts and style.
I thank this city for understanding that sometimes the subway can feel a bit too much and that sometimes, I may need to walk or cab or Uber to get there. I appreciate the fact that I may never have to drive again, and I'm so cool with that.
But most of all, I thank this city for healing all of us after that horrible day, when we all felt raw and exposed and tremendously sad. When we passed each other with knowing glances and bowed our heads with respect for those that lost their lives. I thank this city for the millions of memories I have of becoming my true self- from wine soaked conversations after delicious meals to early morning workouts before everyone is awake and I can admire the city coming to life, one of my favorite things in the entire world.
I thank New York for welcoming me home with open arms after 7 years in Miami, and I thank Brooklyn for taking care of me the way it did many years ago when I first moved to the neighborhood I now inhabit. I am your biggest fan.
I thank New York for letting me drop f bombs whenever I need to get my point across and accepting my civilized aggression when people or rodents or flying objects get in my way. Daily life is hard. New York, you get that. And you really get me.
I thank New York and promise to contribute to this magic, crazy, acid trip of a city because New York requires us to be on point, on board, and on the money. And although I may wonder how I can live in such a wild, expensive, humanity soaked place, I will stay true to New York as long as you'll have me.
So today, as I walk over to the Brooklyn Promenade to share a moment with my fellow New Yorkers and look out on those beams of light across the bridge, I will say a prayer for lives lost but also have tremendous gratitude for this beautiful place that has given me everything I need and more.
Thank you, New York. I love you with all my heart. Forever and ever.
Cause that's what's up this true love kind of Friday in the place that matters most. Yours, in big apples and big love. And no, I'll never forget. XO