As the days drew nearer to our departure date, something strange started to happen. I felt sentimental about the city. Our daughter was conceived there and spent the first 3 1/2 years of her life as a city child. All that is familiar to her is no longer "home". This transition back to the Hudson Valley will be a more significant adjustment for her than for me. Although there are so many new things that we will do together as a family, she will be mourning the loss of city life as much as I mourned the loss of country life when we moved to New York City five years ago.
There was so much I didn't like about living in Manhattan, but yet I found a few special places that I will (and I say this while cringing) miss. I could not have survived living in so much chaos and sensory stimulation if it weren't for the oasis of city parks. Certain museums and creative shops offered a similar haven. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn from Julia Cameron at The Open Center and take art workshops that helped me to feel not so alone. I enjoyed the beauty the old buildings and downtown neighborhoods that brought to life the words of Anais Nin's diaries and I could see Henry Miller's ghost sitting on a bar stool in a smokey room. And thank goodness for all the farmer's markets! True, our time in Gotham was not the bohemian adventure I had envisioned when we made the decision to move from up north, but it had its moments.
I am grateful to all the people that became friends. I am proud of my husband for following his heart and completing his master's degree. And I am excited to begin this next chapter of our lives together. Goodbye for now New York City...
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