It Feels Good

I had a perfect day today.

Don't get me wrong, most of my days in the last 7 months have been incredible but today was absolutely perfect.

Woke up super early.  Dressed and out the door, headed to the Upper East Side.

Yin yoga class at a beautiful studio called Pure Yoga on 86th St & 3rd Ave.  Wow.  It's like Sports Club LA but only with yoga, I think they have Pilates too.  It is such a beautiful place and the classes are so good I would honestly consider moving to the UES just to join.

Spent a nice amount of time relaxing in the Sheep's Meadow of Central Park, which has one of the greatest 360 views of New York, trees, skyline, I'm always in awe when I sit in that field.  Also rather in awe of the skimpy bathing suits people choose to wear....hmmm.  Bless them for being so bold.

This evening was shift one of the two I have in the 6/15 Green Community Garden.  To join the garden and receive a key you have to do a few "shifts" easy breezy.  

Ended up spending most of the time playing dominoes with two kids (10 & 12 years) visiting from Santa Domingo Puerto Rico for the summer.  They speak no English.  Lucky for me I speak a bit of Spanish and have a translator on my iPhone :)

Yasmine, Fredrico & I have a date tomorrow at 6pm to play dominoes again in the garden.  It's been requested to bring the music of Michael Jackson for them to listen to, I shall do that.

They are at that great age, before you are into the opposite sex, when being a kid is just being a kid.  Playing a game and sitting in a garden is the best night ever!  Unfortunately we leave that age and don't return to that simplicity until later in life (for me now).   Things get too damn complicated, keep in simple, those are the most precious moments in life.

When I put on Jay Z, they started dancing and singing in very broken English it was terrific.  Yasmine also asked if I would teach her yoga, she watched our class last night, so I agreed.  

If this continues I might have to take them to the Red Hook Public Pool next week!  I'll speak to their Aunt tomorrow.  They are here for 3 months.  

I feel so incredibly grateful for today.  How many people get to just lay around Central Park on a Thursday afternoon?  

My life is pretty wonderful.  I remember this everyday, even the days when it feels less wonderful.  Here is my short gratitude list for tonight followed by a few pictures.

I'm grateful for:

-Being alive

-726 days of sobriety

-Knowing that my life is this good because of those 726 days

-terrific am emails with sober friends who ask questions like, "what would your day be like if you drank last night?" keeping it fresh

-yoga, i love you 

-my Dad coming to visit me special for my 2nd anniversary on Monday!!  

-spending time getting to know new people who are inspiring and full of new energy

-friends that get everything about me and love me for it

-the internet, text messages, emails, cell phones and other wonderful technology that makes life so much easier and allows me to work from anywhere on the planet

-Lulu!  My trusty dog companion. 

-getting to meet Fredrico & Yasmine, them teaching me dominoes and their pure souls

-a text that said they "enjoy being around your calm energy", sweet

-Park Slope sunsets

-Having faith in a power grater than myself

-Knowing that tomorrow is another perfect day waiting to happen

Spring Awakening

Ah l'amour....It's almost spring and my fancy turns to thoughts of romantic entanglements. 

You really need to experience a hard winter to appreciate what happens to us humans in spring.  Growing up in California I never understood the excitement that spring brings until I moved to NYC in Feb 1997.  Ask any New Yorker about spring fever and they'll tell you...we get the gift every year, the hard long winter was worth every moment for that spring awakening.

It's about 4am and I have another gift, insomnia.  So my mind started thinking about romance, romantic gestures, the best places to be kissed in NYC and past loves.

First off for as much as I try to convince everyone that I dislike romance or even a romantic comedy, I love them.  This can be proved via my Netflicks cue, which is always loaded with at least one very cheesy love story. Beneath this hard exterior lurks the mushy romantic insides of a teenage girl, I do believe in love, true love and romance.

I also really believe in romantic gestures.  People these days seem to think that romantic gestures are passe, I disagree.  Yes I received my share of flowers, candy, songs and poems.  But you really haven't enjoyed a big romantic gesture until someone sings you "Never Tear Us Apart" by Inxs standing on a bar stool at karaoke in front of 60 strangers, big romantic gesture yes, not so romantic when you have to carry their drunk ass home an hour later.  Alas I still loved the gesture.  I also am the proud owner of at least four love songs written about me (when you date musicians they write you songs for most occasions).

Romantic places to kiss NY edition (some tested, some untested)....Lincoln Center in front of the fountains at night.  Columbus Circle (anytime), Shakespeare's Garden Central Park (anytime), MOMA or MET, top of the Empire State Building (although the wait to get there will kill the mood, if there is a line), Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park (anywhere), the garden across from my house, the steps of BAM, the subway platform (it works with the right person), Baby Cakes (untested, but how could this be wrong? romantic kisses and vegan cupcakes) and the mecca of all romantic dates Bloomingdales, what?  Yes, celebratory kisses when you walk out after buying a very sexy Agent Provocateur outfit for the two of you to enjoy.

So what's this all about?? Spring!!  It's almost here!  I'm celebrating.  My flu is almost gone, I'm feeling pretty darn good and I'm very open to the future.

Here's wishing you a very sexy spring awakening too.

Shakespeare's Garden Central Park

Lincoln Center

Babycakes

Agent Provocateur