New York State of Mind
“The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.” John Updike
Say anything you want about New York, and you will, in all likelihood, be correct. The city is big enough to accommodate almost any opinion and make it true.
Exciting or Tedious? Yes. A land of opportunity or a factory of sadness? Absolutely. The big apple or the sweaty armpit? Either. Both. Neither.
Say almost anything and New York will prove you right. You can't call the place easy, small, slow, or dull. Still, so many adjectives apply it isn't hard finding one that fits.
This week many of my New York friends and colleagues are struggling to drain their homes, remove fallen trees, find clean water, and resume some sort of normalcy in a city where slowing down feels like an ill-fitting shoe.
But slow is going to be the name of the game this week: emails are light, phone calls sporadic, and schedules are all written in pencil. I pray for patience for every type A person I know in the Northeast! In fact, my prayer list is a little long, and more than slightly random, but that's how my scattered mind works! Here goes...
- Resilience
- For the crane company to move the scary crane
- Patience
- No mildew
- Kindness
- No flat tires for cabbies
- A make-over for LGA while they clean up
- Starbucks open on every corner
- Generosity
- A temporary suspension of the Big Gulp rule
- Funny tweets
- Self-control
- Seedlings to replace some trees
- Creative cures for cabin fever
- Safety
- Working cable (and lots of watching A+E/History/Lifetime!!)
- Gas grills
- Mild, increasingly sunny weather
- Love for others
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Connections with family and friends
- Marathon board games by toasty fires
- Giants over the Steelers on Sunday
- Gratitude
- Peace and, most importantly...
- Love
If you think of any of these things, feel free to pray along, or for monetary generosity you can donate here or here.