In Honor of the One I Love

Looking Back....No matter where I go....my heart will always belong to one. New York City. My one true love.

I dreamed as a child of moving to the Big Apple and living among the famous elite, eccentric artists and smelly homeless. Ok-maybe that last part is a lie, but I did dream of what my life would be like in New York City from about the age of 13, a life beyond the small boring town I had been inhabiting.

When I was 18 I packed my bags and headed off to college in the city that has made and broken many a dream. Everyone knew I would live there, in fact there are people who had often told me I would never leave and scoffed at the idea of me leaving. I knew there was more to life than the 22.96 square mile island of Manhattan situated between the Hudson and East River.

There was a big world out there, and I wanted to be a part of it-a speck among many, a fish out of water-surrounded by places and people both strange and enticing to me. So at 24, I did leave, I left the only place that truly felt like home. And I don't regret leaving...but I find myself remembering lately, the life and love I left behind...

New York for some is a place to get rich, to find love, to realize a childhood dream, for some it's simply a great place to get laid and drunk on a daily basis, but for me, New York City represents the place where I was able to just be.

Growing up in a small town, I had to pretend to be something I wasn't. Happy. Composed. Strong. The struggles I faced at home, I kept to myself. But moving to New York, I could be me. Angry at times. Bitter if need be. It is fast paced, dirty, rude and at it's best- RAW and allowed me to act accordingly. New York City was the best teacher I ever had-it kicked my ass, and took me through a roller coaster of emotions, only to reveal my most basic instincts.

It was here that I fell in love for the first time. My first heartbreak. Friendships made. Bonds betrayed. The biggest loss of my life. And every time, when I turned to MY city for comfort, it held me, soothed me and then shoved me out the door to do it all over again.

Thank you NYC. You are all things good and bad to me. And we've had our problems but you will forever be home. I miss you. Until we meet again, dear friend.