After a difficult few days
Apartment hunting (again)
And feeling like NYC is harsh and hard and
Sometimes downright impossible
A work friend gave a group of us a free pass to the top of the
Empire State Building
And it was sunset
And even though it was overcast
There was a pink and orange glow to the west
And the bird’s eye view
Of this gorgeous glorious difficult beautiful city
Made my heart swell
And when we came downstairs
I could hear piano music
And we made our way around the lobby
And there tucked away in the corner
Was a pianist
Playing Christmas carols and jazz standards on a baby grand
And it all felt possible

I know I say it almost every Monday night
But happiness truly is
Singing in the choir
The joy of harmonizing
The joy of vocalizing together
The joy of discovering the music and
Figuring out how we can make it
Sing

More hot chocolate
Sugar and fat to mend a broken heart
Watching Spirited
Singing and dancing and comedy
To soothe a troubled soul

Hot chocolate and writing
And a surprise chocolate croissant, gratis

A lovely early morning stroll

A walk through downtown Manhattan with Al
And a chocolate orange will cure what ails you
As will Chinese food
And watching Hook for the first time in years

The relief of excellent customer service
The loveliness of catching up with an old friend
The delight of Paul Gordon’s music

Today was a heartbreaking day
My former love and puppy driving across the country
To a whole new life
Without me
I couldn’t look at my screen
Or concentrate on work
So I pulled an Abuela and I retreated to the kitchen to make
A batch of lentejas
A big bowl of hummus
And a carrot/beet slaw
I shared the lentejas with a friend who got covid
And on the way home from work
Hanna and I braved the cold and got Hungry Jack’s
And the greasy burger and fatty fries and soft serve with chocolate fudge
Were the balm my soul needed

So very grateful
For friends
Who even when they’re exhausted
And dealing with the world
Still have the energy
To come over at the end of a very long day
With hugs and love
And stories of working in theatre
To lift your spirits

The flea market with Al
Digging through records
Talking art and theatre and life
Coming home after work and cooking up a batch of creamy chicken pasta
Watching They Cloned Tyrone with Ralph
The bizarre synchronicity of David Alan Grier showing up
(Of all the actors in all the world!!!)
The loveliness of the unexpected