Your City, Your Song
Meryl Streep likes Italian food. How do I know this, you ask? Well, because she was a guest at my restaurant yesterday while I was hostessing! As wasone Mr. Robert Duval! Now, for those of you seasoned New Yorkers and LA-ers who are used to seeing say, William Shatner at Subway, you’re probably thinking "Well so? Multiple Oscar winners gotta eat too!" Well I KNOW! But it still got me to an almost dangerous level of hypernes! Thankfully, the poor soul who had to deal with me afterwards physically sat me down and forced me to bring it down a notch so my head didn’t explode!
But it got me to thinking about New York and other favorite places of mine, namely the Grand Canyon and Disney World. Now, I remember very well seeing each of these three places for the first time. I was overwhelmed by the this feeling of pride at being a part of them. I’d seen pictures, movies, commercials, but to actually stand in Times Square or to walk down into the Grand Canyon or to see the castle…those were experiences I’d always dreamed of, and they did not disappoint. My ages were 11 (Disney World), 15 (New York) and 24 (Grand Canyon). I’ve seen them many times since, but I am proud to say that my awe, wonder and excitement at their existence has yet to fade! And so, I admit freely to being excited to see actors I’ve admired in the flesh! I also admit to owning geeky geology books about the formation of the Grand Canyon. AND I admit that I’m so excited that I’m guarenteed 5 days in the parks in Orlando this August. I love that I am a part of NYC. I love that I am a part of the magic of Disney. I love that I have looked up from 3 miles down in the Grand Canyon. They are places that have captured my imagination and I hope that I never take them forgranted.
That goes for other things too. For me, the obvious one is music! You can hear a song a million times on a CD or an I-pod. But what about the first time you get to sing it to an audience with an orchestra behind you? Or what about hearing it being played and/or sung for you by someone you care about? The things that are ordinary can be made magic in an instant! So don’t lose the joy of living in New York. Go to the park on a spring day or walk up and down Broadway and feel the energy that drew us all here (or wherever you live!) Don’t let life make you forget about living!
Wow! That was a sermon if I ever gave one!
