August 2, 2010

America is my country, Manhattan is my hometown.

Yes, it’s possible to be away from home for so long that upon returning you come to appreciate it a bit more. It’s also possible to become so caught up in this burnt-out, over-worked, worn-out culture, that the world you see around you on a daily basis can come so become so tedious you no longer see it anymore. There comes a point when it is just a place with concrete sidewalks filled with lots of people and lots of cars and you yourself are just there in it, drifting, until the next day happens to find you.

I’ve been away for a while at a time when I think it could almost be defined as divine intervention (if such a thing should exist). The city and its heat were weighing extremely heavy on my shoulders, and in twelve days away I found myself on a plane every morning, and every evening going to sleep in an entirely new and foreign place (Oh, what a thing that can do for a person if the timing is right, indulging that urge to run away!).

And then I was back, and after traveling around the country for almost two weeks there wasn’t any better sight than the Manhattan skyline looming in the distance. I also found it very reassuring that at the end of this long and tiring time away from the buzzing streets of this place, that once I got off the train at Penn Station I was immediately thrown right back into my old life. Within moments I was out on 33rd and 8th vying for a taxi cab, arm up, suitcase in tow, with people all pushing and yelling and trying to get one before me. A great thing about this place (a trait I wish more people had), is that it doesn’t waste any time getting reacquainted with you - what you see is what you get.

In a cab, windows down on a warn night in Manhattan speeding up West End Avenue, home (one of the best feelings in the world), I thought that yes, it’s possible to be away for so long that when you come back you have a new appreciation for the world and your place in it, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

One just hopes the feeling lasts, of course. At least until the next chance there is to escape.