Everything That I Have Learned From Living In New York City

“One belongs to New York instantly; one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” 

Tom Wolfe

New York is like a lost lover that I have run into. With every honk from a taxi, my heart beats faster and faster. With every light, my eyes shine with the thoughts of a thousand lovers. And with every day that passes, I learn a  new lesson.

I learned that to be the most populated city in America, it is the place where you will feel the most lonely. And with everything, you will meet the most amazing and unique that you will want to keep in your life forever. I learned that not everything is what it seems. That every time you judge a book by its cover, you play and ignorant’s game that becomes burned after reading the first chapter.

That life moves quickly, but if for a minute you stop and breathe, you will see beauty that you never imagined. A beauty that isn’t worth missing due to the constant running. That walking around Central Park while drinking coffee is better than any psychologist’s recommendation.

That there is nothing wrong with wanting to dress for destiny. That New York is a city worth dressing up more. And you wear the highest heels that  you own, so you can be able to see the Empire State Building better. And that sometimes, you need to wear red lipstick to gain a bit of courage.

That money will never buy happiness and you may, at times, not be able to buy the things you really want. But the best things in life are free and laughs will never have a high price. That with every day that passes, you realize that you are not the person you once were and that life is always in constant change.

That no one can control your dreams. If you want to fly, become a lawyer, or singer, you can do it. That through Broadway, all of your dreams come to life and present themselves in a magical form. That every opportunity is a ticket with destination to adventure. That you will get lost, and when it happens, you will find amazing places that you will want to add to your “Places to Re-Visit” list.

That the Subway was once your biggest fear and now has become your favorite form of conversation. You see people that once only existed in children’s books. That with every stop, everything becomes different, new, strange, yet enticing.

I learned that love isn’t a game, but a blessing. That you can’t drown the butterflies in your stomach, you have to protect them. And you can’t always reject or avoid love. That when it happens, and you feel as if you can touch the stars, remember, to come down and touch the ground. Because the man that has your heart is Manhattan, and there is no better man to love.

– Jane Elizabeth (@JaneElizabethRC)