New York Happiness (Part 2)

With my bike getting snatched yesterday, a couple of disturbing car keying incidents, and some smaller stuff that has just made me feel out of place and less than happy in my own skin, a large part of my day has been spent dealing with problems and trying to avoid punching someone. So you'd think today's crappy, rainy weather would just make things worse. And yet, I had a really good day. 

A bit was work related, but a few other things happened that made things seem better. First, I had the growing realization that despite what I think is a less than ideal incoming President, the world has not and will not end, and that I should know better than to fret about the future of the country when EVERY election since I've been old enough to notice had been described as crucial to the future of the country. And Dubya has made an art of screwing things up without any major parts of the nation slipping into the

 sea or being ceded to Canada.

But most of my buoyant mood has to do with the city I now live in, and

 it's subtle, everyday charms. Like the way Grand Central looks in the drizzle, with the Chrysler Building looming in the background. Or the way umbrellas bob up and down to avoid the hats and faces of the pedestrians walking in the other direction. Or visiting the New York Public Library for the first time, and seeing architecture and art that would fit nicely in a European metropolis, but is just steps from where I exit the subway every morning.

This city bestows life and opportunity in ways other places simply cannot. Even if my time here is relatively short, how I think and see the world will be permanently enriched by it. I am so, so glad to be in New York.