Fish Hugging

I love this video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In addition to it being refreshingly upbeat - and narrated by John Cleese! - the close reminds us that it's not just all about us.

Playing Nicely with Others

I'm not sure how it started but at the former ad agency I used to work with we had a secret shorthand to categorize certain types of clients, which helped on the back end with client management. At my former agency, 'smart' was valued much, much more than 'nice'....though I'm not certain that's ultimately the most important quality to value, or most the powerful.

At work today, an unfortunate situation unraveled that caused a ripple effect with some of my colleagues resulting in tears, anxiety, and distress and others still rearranging their schedules and commitments to help with some damage control.

The 'damage' was simply a mean comment (that thought it was being smart), that spread.

In that critical difference between making a living and making a life, being nice to others goes a lot farther than simply being smart ever will.

September!

Today is the one year anniversary of "Back to the Future". Ta-dah!

So I've been searching for something meaningful to say about my 11 plus months of New York Part 2 but truthfully I'm still not sure if I'm a New Yorker who loves California or a California girl who loves New York. (With Midwestern roots and a solid Florida anchor).

As I think about this, I realize I'm acting a little bit like a scene in the book "Eat, Pray, Love" where Elizabeth Gilbert, the author, has the 'monkey mind' and is struggling to meditate. She's in India, it's 4:30 a.m., its really hot, there's people chanting for hours, and there's bugs crawling all over her. During the struggle she begins to feel even worse about herself: Not only has her marriage, her post marriage relationship and her New York City "perfect life" fallen apart, she can't even sit still and meditate! Someone tells her to dedicate her practice to someone else (and stop thinking about herself) and of course that's the trick, she begins to relax into things.

Because the truth is...I love both.

Happy September everyone!

August's bloom

August is traditionally a 'quiet' month in New York. New Yorkers say things like "The city is so empty, I love it" or "It's August, not much is happening" while tourists in Times Square look around in wonderment as they've never seen so many people smashed together all in one place in their lives! It's true that many people are away on holiday travels or escaping to the weekend places, squeezing the last golden days of summer in, before September rolls around and it's back in the blender time. But as for 'not much happening'...I'm not so sure about that.

Sometimes on the subway commute if I'm not reading I look at all the different faces and try to imagine what some of them might be thinking, if there was a way to show the invisible thought bubble above their heads. (Hmmm, for some, perhaps I don't want to know!) This morning I happened to think about what might be tucked inside their hearts - the people that live there, and the small seeds of dreams that have been planted, in various stages of growth and neglect.

I must have been thinking about this because in the last few months, some long hoped for seeds among some of my closest friends have taken root, and bloomed. New career paths are being forged by two friends who are reinventing themselves, and for another, a wonderful job has finally emerged after a year long search. Long awaited for babies have been born. A relationship that ended sadly came back to life culminating in a glorious wedding in Italy. Another friend who has been hoping for a new home for several years is finally moving into her dream home next month. And in the last couple of days alone, I learned one friend is joining a new company as its leader, and for another, the first blush of someone special has entered her life.

These are the people in my heart, who I've signed that invisible petition for, watering those seeds next to them.

August may be quiet, but things are happening!

August 17

My friend Jen wrote the post that I couldn't today, but her last paragraph is worth repeating.

Storm King

Over the weekend I was up at Storm King Art Center, about 50 miles north of the city, in the Hudson River Valley. It is a 500 plus acre outdoor exhibit space with sculpture that simply looks like they were dropped from the skies above.

It is peaceful and magnificent.

After a late morning hike and lunch, the plan was to rent bikes, go on a docent-led tour, and I also wanted to do some writing. Instead we sat by a giant tree, that felt like it had been around for a long time. I opened my book and promptly fell asleep.

This was my view for a couple hours after that, watching a breeze stir grass and butterflies fly around. Leaning against a giant tree that began as a small acorn, but grew slowly. Feeling the energy of Storm King Mountain in the background, a permanent sign of a glacier's path thousands of years before.

Nature's sweet reminder that things take time.

The Word Shaker

Though I've been back from "Up North" since the beginning of August, in some ways I still feel on holiday (and not because I keep thinking about having an ice cream cone in the middle of the afternoon!) I think it's because I find myself reading every chance I get.

There's something amazing about vacations and the pleasure of losing yourself in great books. I'm not sure why I read more when I'm not at home -- perhaps when you're away, you're not in your routine, you're not over-scheduled and thinking about the things you really could be doing. When you're away you somehow shift from 'doing' into just 'being' (which I think actually gives a happy mellow boost to all your 'doing'.)

In Nova Scotia I read "The Help", a hand me down book from my sister's book club. She had actually given me the book a year ago when I was leaving Nova Scotia, though I had completely forgotten about it, until I discovered it a few weeks ago. It's written from the perspective of 'the help' for women in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, and it had me at page one. I kept thinking "This isn't that long ago...."

On subways and in the edges of the day I just finished "The Book Thief" (another hand me down from Kris). It's about a little girl in Nazi Germany, and the narrator of the book is Death, who is exhausted. My sister, her mother-in-law and The New York Times all said they really liked the book but it initially took me several pages to get into. Now I understand. Since I've finished it two days ago, it's still been on my mind.

Interestingly, both books are really about the power of words to harm, and heal.

"...THE BEST word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest. One such word shaker was a small, skinny girl. She was renowned as the best word shaker of her region because she knew how powerless a person could be WITHOUT words...."

Empire State of Mind

My friend Pam from work, a savvy Tribeca-dwelling New Yorker, had gotten tickets for a Hidden Harbor Boat Tour, that was organized by Open House New York. As Pam explained it, Open House New York celebrates New York's architecture and design and hosts popular programs that showcase 'secret' New York that most people never get to experience.

For many New Yorkers, 'first', 'secret', 'unknown' and 'insider' are bigger triggers...which of course can be an accomplishment in a city of eight million people.

As for me, I'm just happy to get out on the water!

We left the Seaport and cruised past Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights and Red Hook, and then past Governors Island.

Suddenly the "harbor" as I knew it just seemed like two rivers. As Manhattan faded into the distance, and we went past the Atlantic and Erie Basin, I began to appreciate the enormity of New York Harbor.

And its role as an active Seaport.

By water, Port Newark and Port Elizabeth Container Terminals looked beautiful, with airplanes taking off in the distance to points unknown.

Returning home just after dusk, the twinkling lights of Manhattan grew brighter, with skyscrapers and bridges and an empty patch of sky where the Twin Towers once stood.

Ever since I've been back, I just haven't been awed by the skyline when I've arrived from a plane trip or the Long Island Expressway.

This time was different. As the island grew larger, the voices of JayZ and Alicia Keys were in my head.

"...New York

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothin' you can't do

Now you're in New York

These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you

Let's hear it for New York, New York..."

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Island Life

A year ago yesterday I first discovered "the one" - the New York apartment that fit my California-centric criteria in my relocation back East. The picture above was taken that afternoon, when I was celebrating over Belgian beer and mussels with my friends Jen and Antony (who I think were also privately celebrating not having to look at more apartments with me!) A year later, I am grateful not to be in the process of a cross country relocation!

Yesterday there was no Belgian beer and mussels but a rediscovery of New York's waterfront. With water taxis now operating from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Dumbo and the Seaport, and the development of the 'west coast' of Manhattan, it happily reinforces that Manhattan is actually an island, not a concrete jungle, and the city's maritime roots.

An unplanned kayak in the Hudson River was a great way to celebrate too, as I've been craving being out on the water since my return from "Up North."

It was so fun that we went kayaking at two locations!

Though...I think I was the only one out on the water kayaking in a sundress!

The perspective of greenery not just tall buildings dramatically improves the city's quality of life.

The geese have noticed it too!

In addition to improving health and well being, and bringing the beauty of nature to soften a city with some pretty tough edges, it also reminds a type A city like New York to slow down and enjoy.

And breathe.

YHZ to JFK

In my profession, I work with socially and environmentally conscious companies and brands. No matter the amount of knowledge or 'voting with my dollars' for organic food, low impact 'eco-friendly' products, I often feel disconnected from the mission behind these companies during day to day city life. Part of this I suspect is why I spend so much time on the roof here, looking at the water, as it feels fluid, in motion, living, and part of the natural world. Skyscrapers, as magnificent and impressive as they are, really leave my heart cold.

I flew back to New York yesterday afternoon and have had a few hours to adjust my eyes and ears from life "Up North" back to the city living. When I looked out of the plane window, everything below looked still freshly glacier made -- trees as far as the eye could see, bordered by the coastline of the North Atlantic.

I once read in a book called "The Last Forest: The Amazon in the Age of Globalization", how an area of the Amazon equal to a mid size U.S. State is burnt down every single year (!). That fact only becomes real to me when I can see trees as far as the eye can see, and then try to imagine the void without them, a year later, during summer vacation 2011.

My last full day in Nova Scotia was sunny and warm and a perfect day for a lazy boat cruise before a wedding later that evening. Thirteen of us went out for a few hours and just looked at tall trees, rocks, boats, houses, marine life.

And just enjoyed being together.

Our craft was a 40 year old wooden fishing boat, not the fastest craft out of the water. "It's not about speed," Jason said.

Seals were sunbathing on Sheep Ledge, enjoying their Saturday as well. Witnessing their family time, and slipping in and out of the water, is something truly magical and reminds you of the whole living world beneath the water.

More tall trees, rocks, boats, houses, marine life. This is what makes my heart sing.

As well as spending time with this crew.