i never thought i would find a reason to quote en vogue, but...

do you really like living in nyc?

i get this question all the time.  i find it a little frustrating.  i have never asked you if you really like living in say, Bismark, North Dakota, or Charlotte, North Carolina.  plus, how am i supposed to answer that?  i already told you yes, but now you add the really as if i need to go on a contemplative trip to an ashram to figure out if i really meant it when i said it.

oooohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

yep. still the same.  yes.

then people follow it up with things like:
but there are so many people.
noted.
but its so noisy.
so are children.  people still like them.
but its so dirty.
so are children. people still like them.
oh, and swimming pools.  i used to work at one. those things are cesspools of nastiness.
but its so expensive.
really, i hadn't noticed.
so are diamonds.  people still buy them.
but don't you miss home?

and then i pause.
duh.
of course i miss home.  home is always the best place.
but it isn't the only place.

some people live their entire lives within the confines of one place, one town, one state.
i haven't.
it doesn't make me right and you wrong.
it doesn't make you right and me wrong.
it just makes us different.

but when you argue
my choice to be here with me,
you show me how closed minded you are.

being closed minded and lacking worldliness only causes greater misunderstanding of the people who are different than us.

i think that being here in new york i have become more tolerant, more understanding and more accepting. it has also opened my eyes to the massive amounts of people who are different than i am.

i have friends who would identify themselves everywhere along the spectrum that exists:
right, moderate, left.
queer, bi, straight.
rich, getting by, struggling.
happy, "okay", sad.
lonely, overstimulated.
introvert, extrovert.
jewish, christian, muslim, mormon.
teachers, investment bankers, tv producers, phd students.
uptown, midtown, downtown, brooklyn, bronx and jersey city(btw, where IS that??? jk jk)
i think the only friend i have yet to meet is a U of L fan.  (ahahaha! Kidding!)

all of these people add to the depth and breadth of my life.
i have learned more about myself, more about humanity in general because of them.
we are all enriched by those around us who are different.
they teach us, challenge us to grow.

so yes, new york is dirty.
but so is life.
and yes, new york is crowded,
but it is filled with people to learn from, to challenge you, to change you.
and yes, it is expensive.
but not as expensive as a closed mind.

as en vogue once said, "free your mind, and the rest will follow."

colie.