From Awe to Awe-less

I have officially taken it for granted. I'm ashamed to say that with as many new experiences this city has provided me none have been documented since May. 5 months without a pen-able experience, I think not. To you, New York, I apologize. I will, once again, make it a point to recognize and illustrate your wonders.

As much as my growing NYC tenure is becoming everyday life, same-old, same-old (horrid, I know), living here has made me realize there are some aspects of suburbia that I took for granted 21 years long, which now echo in my sporadic homesickness. Trees and crickets.

Although I have a tree outside my apartment window, it is entangled with power lines and entirely not the same as the lush green blanket which greets me on my journeys back to Connecticut. There is something about relatively undisturbed nature which is so desirable and completely unattainable in this concrete jungle I call a home. Whether it is upcoming fall foliage that I will miss so much or the fact that the squirrels are confined to the borders of Central Park, nature is forced in New York. As I look out my office window to the apartment building across the street I notice about 10 different varieties of trees planted on the roof of the building, directly adjacent to a satellite dish. I find it amusing because if a homeowner planted a tree on top of their house anywhere other then here family members might consider a mental health intervention.

For me summer isn't summer until I hear the low drone of the crickets when I open my bedroom window at night. For as much noise as a city resident puts up with, in this department a dropping pin could be heard 5 blocks away. On especially quiet city nights I supplement the noiselessness with my sound machine, close enough to satisfy but not quite right.

Having realized this missing piece early on this summer, I assumed I would have to travel outside the city limits to quench my audible need; however, last night I found the diamond in this rough. I woke up around 5 am with a headache, so I groggily made my way to the kitchen for some medication. As I stepped out of the bedroom and the hum of the fan, I stopped short. I had found my crickets! In the wee hours the city turned suburban, only to change back before anyone suspected. It will be our little secret New York, just don't fall quiet when I need you.