Hello/Goodbye
Crashing Into the Metaphysical
What does it mean to find ourselves "at home" with others and they with us? Is it all about the physical space we create or are invited to inhabit, however temporary? What does it mean to find ourselves "at home" in a place, a city unfamiliar? Or to find ourselves "at home" in any circumstance?
Maybe it's not about "home" at all. After all, some of us didn't come from the type of homes that would make revisiting a pleasure. And what might be familiar isn't always enjoyable or even baseline healthy. Maybe it goes beyond this.
After all, the evocation of things pleasing and familiar is not always connected to a specific experience or memory. They are sometimes felt deep inside our secret inner person and have more to do with a sense of belonging. It's in the right place, at the right time, with the right people on purpose. Or of being contentedly alone, knowing that that too is sometimes what is needed - being "at home" with one's self.
Perhaps it's an extraordinary and momentary confluence of curiosity, respect, understanding, and a sense of connection that leaves us feeling both fired up and comfortably cozy. Maybe this sensation touches on our core aspirations, our desires for how we would like "to be." It may be none of these things or all of these things.
Whatever it is, there was a fire that followed us around the city that week. It stopped where we stopped and ate where we ate. Then as quickly as it arrived, it departed by way of the 6 train. Waving goodbye, we climbed the stairs into the brisk 77nd street air. Grinning like idiots and grateful to have lived to tell the tale.
Next up: NYC Wallpaper
One could make the argument that wallpaper adds depth and style to our surroundings. That it helps to make a house a home. What though, about a city? Do the same rules apply? Can a “wallpaper” of sorts do the same for exteriors as it does for interiors? Below is a quick look at a few of nyc’s outer rooms - the places that create for us a sense of overall coziness and makes this little island feel like a home.
