This post was previously published in July 2018.
Spring of 2018 was been filled with moving, massive life changes and just a little bit of chaos.
So, after my convocation in early June, I took a break from the craziness that life had been throwing at me, and threw myself into one of the most well known cities in the world.
Over the 6 days I was in New York, I walked 128km, ate some fantastic food, and soaked in this incredible city filled with world-famous buildings and more people than I could have imagined.
There are several stories that I could tell you. I could talk about walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and watching the sunset over Manhattan. I could tell you about touring the UN and how cool it was to wander the buildings and grounds. Or, I could tell you about my favorite bagel shop that I spent way too much time at.
But my favorite New York story is from the first hour I was in the city. I had just left the airport and was on the train heading to Manhattan. A lady sat down beside me, and said hello. I was a little surprised but we struck up a conversation. She told me that she was visiting her daughter, who was about to be married. They were meeting for her dress fitting that afternoon.
And, I told her my story. About how my plans for the summer and beyond had recently crumbled around me, and I wasn’t sure where I was going next. That I needed to get away, and that the plane ticket was cheap, so here I was.
Maybe it was crazy for me to share such personal, sensitive things with a total stranger, who I will never see again. I don’t even know her name. But her reaction was just what I needed.
She was so enthusiastic. She thought it was just great that I had picked myself up and was getting on with my life. Putting myself out there and doing what I knew was best for me.
New York gave me the freedom to be completely myself and to do my own thing. To do things that I loved to do. In those few days, I hit reset.
They say that a change is as good as a rest.
And for me, it was.
A few of my favorite photos from my week in New York.
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