I think i might know one reason people like New York City. In New York City you are important, its like you're witnessing 500 tv show narratives at the same time as you are writing/acting/directing your own. I learned today that Charles Addams (of Addams' Family and New Yorker fame) would often draw up his little cartoons for the New Yorker from stories and scenes witnessed and overheard on the streets, in the buildings, and in the parks of the city. While walking around after I began thinking about this because I just could NOT concentrate on praying nor reading. Anyway, i witnessed my own little hilarious scene in which 2 young sisters walking home from school were having a difference of opinion over speed of travel.
... "this is the speed in which I am going to walk at!" declared the younger, pronouncing the syllables as slow as she took her steps, her knapsack rolling behind her.
.... The older sister slows down to wait for the younger so that it would be impossible to avoid noticing the frustration painted across her face ...
I laughed to myself. That's funny. Because its life. We have all had those moments. The thing with New York is everything is played out for everyone else. First of all, there is so many people everywhere. Second, the scenes are set perfectly - 1/2 the films out there try to reproduce these backgrounds. Third, everyone looks great and is dressed perfectly (I mean just browse through a few pages of The Sartorialist), or they are dressed authentically and with purpose, and lastly everyone is LOUD. Walking in New York you witness little snippets of everyone else's life narrative - their anger, their love, their best and their worst. So this is the first reason people like New York - because lets be honest, who doesn't want to be able to glimpse so many other people's lives; absorb, compare, laugh and judge.
But more importantly, one (or is it just me?) feels as though his narrative for his time in New York is also being observed and judged. It is as though, the setting creates importance, which gives our actions and decisions, even just our appearance - value? Take for example, this morning after a long time eating breakfast in bed watching soccer I strolled out to get a coffee and read for a bit at M. Rohrs: a great little cafe right near my brother's apartment. One of those New York cafe's that is a quaint little thing sunken down from the sidewalk with tables, pastries, and *things* everywhere. While reading my book, and drinking my fantastically smooth latte, I find myself looking up when people walk in the door to judge whether they belong in my scene - and to observe whether they take notice of my importance in the headline role. Really? yes really. I'm not saying its healthy or correct. But it is what it is.
It makes me think of value. And our search for it. It makes me think with a bit of sadness about humility. The thing is, at the risk of sounding cheesy, I already a live a pretty damn important narrative. It's not important because I'm in New York. It's important because God is there - loving me to a fault - loving me in action - with care, kindness, responsibility, respect, trust, knowledge - to an infinite degree. Mind you - its almost easier just to travel to New York to try and feel that way. Because understanding this value is. hard. work. Often it requires situations much the opposite of the streets of NYC - unless of course - the depths of your soul are organized in a grid pattern with a great big park in the middle!
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