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My first trip to New York City in years inspired a chapter of my first book Inheritance. Below is an excerpt ©2016 Enter Media, LLC.
The moment I e-mailed my leave paperwork to human resources, I immediately felt free for the first time in many years. I had given so much of myself to others during my time as a teacher, that I had forgotten what it was like to put myself first. Having the freedom to do what nurtured me excited me and reawakened feelings that I had long suppressed. For the first time in years, I felt young and determined. I felt that I could do whatever I wanted to, as long as I put my mind to it. I was energized and felt like celebrating, so we decided to drive up to New York City. Our future was in Arizona, and we knew that it might have been a while before we made it back east. It would only take us a little more than an hour drive from where my father lived. Travis had already accepted a new position in Phoenix, so he was using up his vacation days from his old job. We were both free and able to do whatever it was we wanted to do, at least for the next few weeks. It seemed like it was the perfect time to just be lovers. The energy in New York is always invigorating and makes you feel that any and everything is possible. While I was already feeling that same energy inside, I wanted to cultivate more of it. Once upon a time I believed that I would somehow end up as a New Yorker, someday in my life. I think New Yorkers are born to be New Yorkers, even if they aren’t born in New York. There’s something about the people that end up in New York that connects them all. I always had an image that I would move there and become a successful writer, actor, or some kind of artist. |
My first trip to New York was in the 7th grade, on my 7th grade class trip. As close as we were, living in New Jersey, the family never made regular trips, or really talked much about New York. Where I grew up, people acted like going two miles away was a long trip. I didn’t have that same small town mindset, but I didn’t realize how close New York was either. I went to New York for a second time in 10th grade for a writing competition, and my love for New York was solidified. It wasn’t the city itself, but that it was a place where anyone could be anything.
Like so many single gay guys and gals in the early 2000s, I was hooked on Sex and The City. It was like someone had personified the caricature of myself who lived in my head. It also seemed that someone had perfectly chronicled my struggles of being single. I imagined myself moving to New York to live out my life as a jet-setting writer, just like Carrie Bradshaw. If you had asked me back then, I would’ve told you that Carrie Bradshaw and I both were going to stay single forever. Fast forward to 2016 and I wasn’t single anymore, I was engaged, and love was changing the way I was viewing the world.
Like so many single gay guys and gals in the early 2000s, I was hooked on Sex and The City. It was like someone had personified the caricature of myself who lived in my head. It also seemed that someone had perfectly chronicled my struggles of being single. I imagined myself moving to New York to live out my life as a jet-setting writer, just like Carrie Bradshaw. If you had asked me back then, I would’ve told you that Carrie Bradshaw and I both were going to stay single forever. Fast forward to 2016 and I wasn’t single anymore, I was engaged, and love was changing the way I was viewing the world.
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My first trip to New York City in years inspired a chapter of my first book Inheritance. Below is an excerpt ©2016 Enter Media, LLC.
Travis and I spent a day in the city, sightseeing, eating, and breathing in the vibrance. I couldn’t deny the vibrations that I felt and I wondered how the universe was able to balance all of the energy of all of these people in such a confined space. There was evidence everywhere that the energy of all the people in New York city had manifested to create a magnificent spectacle. Greatness was everywhere, in the buildings, in the art, and the talent that filled the streets. New York was the greatest city in the world and everyone there was encapsulated in that energy. As amazing as New York City is, love definitely transformed how I viewed the city. New York was still very much awesome, but it was also over-the-top, overpriced, and overcrowded. I was no longer as excited by the constant stimulation or even the magnificence that was New York City. In fact, I would have rather spent my time cozying up in a secluded cabin. Arizona had presented me with a view of nature and beauty, that I hadn’t appreciated before experiencing it. Still, the city reminded me of dreams that I once had and continued to reawaken the creative forces that were re-emerging. As we headed back to Jersey later that evening, I realized how much I had changed, and that I was still changing. Just the day before, I was questioning how my father was being treated by Angela. That was a first. Love had definitely made me softer, but what else had love changed about me? While I was amazed at how much I had changed,at the same time I was reminded of who I used to be. I felt I was balancing who I was with who I was becoming. There were things about me that I shouldn’t have changed, mainly my desire to be creative. New York seemed like just a fun day trip, but when the universe is working on your behalf, even the most unexpected events can have an effect on you. New York reminded me of the artist I was in 10th grade, who wanted to be a writer, entered writing contests, and won! Why had I given up on him and all the dreams that he had? Immediately, I began jotting down notes for a project that I had no real direction for. All I knew was that I wanted to harvest the energy that I felt in that moment and turn it into something that would not only express what I was feeling but could inspire others. My concept was titled From Scratch. From Scratch would chronicle my journey as I became a celebrity chef and food blogger. It was also an attempt to combine two of my passions together and pursue them both simultaneously. Writing had been my talent since I was a kid, and cooking had become a creative outlet for me more recently. |
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