City Solitude

Saturday was probably one of the most chaotic days of my life. But all in all, it turned out just fine. What started out as frantic phone-cancelling, police report-filing and insurance calling day, ended with a dinner out by myself (thanks, Mara) and a walk through the beautiful neighborhood I now call home.

During that walk I stopped for ice cream - I NEVER can resist ice cream. I sat outside on a bench, watching people walk by; some stop and ponder a tasty treat, others walk by without giving it a second thought. I loved the joy on the kid's faces as they ran up to the window: "ICE CREAM MOM!" Man, they're so adorable. And I was crushed for the little boy who, two steps out the door, took an aggressive lick at his chocolate cone and the ice cream went plummeting to the ground. Been there buddy, it sucks.

On my way home, fireworks started popping off in the distance and I went to check out what the big deal was. People were running down the streets in utter delight - it was a scene from a 4th of July movie. Where I'm living, Brooklyn Heights, is just across the bay - literally a couple thousand feet away - from the lower Manhattan skyline. With fireworks glittering off these humongous skyscrapers, my Montana eyes twinkled with wonder.

There's something about solitude that opens all of us up to a part of ourselves that we rarely tap into. Saturday night was a good time for me to reflect on the past six months of my life and be able to look forward to the next couple. I am truly blessed. Not only did it calm the chaos that had consumed me for the last 24 hours, but it showed me that even in New York you can have a quiet night, something I've come to cherish about Seattle as well.

Perhaps not having my phone for a few days will do me good. Something I would've never expected thinking when I felt that empty pocket.