Love and Desire

My life has taken me through a lot of obstacles, I guess I'd be afraid if it hadn't though. The point of life is to take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences to guide you on a journey to the end of it all. Maybe that sounds a little morbid, but the 'end of it all' doesn't have to mean death. It can, but it can also mean the end of the journey of a career, the point in life where you get to sit back and relax - enjoy the life you've worked for. reap the harvest of the seeds you planted along the way. I definitely haven't reached that point yet, I'm only 22, but sometimes, more often than not lately, I just take a step back and look at my life and wonder "How did I get here?"

I was born in California, raised there until the age of 11 when, my family and I packed up and moved to New York. The year before that though, during christmas break, we visited. This was the winter after 9/11 and despite the obvious heartache tearing through the city, it was one of the most magical times I remember.

You've never felt the cold like you have your first New York winter, it's bitter and harsh, especially coming from California where the sun never ceases to shine, even during the worst storms, I had never felt the cold like I had during that trip.

I had never experienced such a carefree lifestyle until those days either. And I wouldn't appreciate it until much later but I realize now that the streets of New York, while some may say are just as bad as the winter, are quite the opposite they can be some of the warmest places you'll go. Whether it's from the random acts of kindness you see - a man helping a single mother carry her stroller up the stair at the subway; or the way that no one but us(tourists) stop to gawk at the drag queens walking down 50th & 9th avenue.

In New York, you're given the opportunity to see the world in a completely different view. You don't have to get on a plane to understand that, every borough and every city within that is like entering a different country. I've never heard a truer statement than New York City being the melting pot of the world, it's no wonder people come to visit year after year.

And every year, you see the anger of each new yorker and the holiday tome traveler for getting in their way, and I'll admit i've been a victim to that anger, but as i write this is just makes me realize how much I love my home. And how amazing it is, after so many years and so many different events people still love it as I.