I told myself to resist posting a lengthy goodbye, that not every farewell is a cause for fanfare. But that’s silly—I don’t actually believe you should close a chapter without showing your gratitude for what it taught you. It’s how you embrace that an ending and a beginning are two sides of the same page. Tear said page from the book and the chapters will meld together in a non-sensical way, creating a disjointed story that surely won’t win you any new readers... The New York

Space: You don't have much of it in New York City. Small apartments; where you learn to repurpose open pockets into meaningful storage. Crowded subways; where going toe-to-toe doesn't equate to fighting but merely surviving (a sweltering commute to work). Parking; where if you're lucky to have a car and street parking, you're somehow chained to both of them every Tuesday and Friday to meet the street cleaners' schedule. You're not given much space in New York City. Instead, y

Diversion. A piece inspired over the long haul. Your day begins. You exit your apartment, climb down 5 flights of stairs, release yourself out onto the street, and dodge the mystery streaks and piles along the sidewalk until you spot the green bulbs of the subway station entrance. All of this is predictable. What happens next is out of your control. The subway’s delayed this morning for a variety of reasons: signal malfunction, sick passenger, an unexplained "earlier incident

Cape. A piece inspired by dreamers + believers. A little one toddled past me, arms stretched, ‘S’ on his chest, cape trailing in his wake. A superhero, on his way to save a damsel, or at least fill his bucket with sweets. Halloween in the city: ghosts and goblins hanging from the gates of the Upper East Side’s brownstones, trick-or-treaters shrieking with glee as they tear across the sidewalks, sugary bounty in tow. This holiday always reminds me of the quintessential questio

Lift. A piece inspired by comfortable uncertainty. The fog settled in and nested itself along the highest peaks in the Faroe Islands. There was a stubbornness about the way it lingered, the way a tuft of cotton catches on a thorn. Cyndi suggested we wait it out, carefully eyeing the pack of hikers above us that were slowly diminishing in distinguishability with each step of their upward trek. “Eighteen,” I counted. As far as we could tell, they weren’t following the cairns la

Run. A piece inspired over the miles. Saturday breezed in on the wings of nostalgia. It was race day in Central Park, and Scotland's blue and white Saltire dotted the start and finish lines while the chilling cries of bagpipes verberated through the morning murmurs. Eight thousand runners huddled into their corrals along the edge of Central Park West; many were dressed in tartan, some paired kilts with running shoes, and even the painted face of William Wallace made an appear

Departure. A piece inspired by 3 degrees. One year ago; today. I boarded the plane from London Heathrow, and spent an anxious 10 hours over the Atlantic Ocean giving myself the pep talk of a lifetime. I could easily look back on that day and identify it as the worst day of 2014. The odds were stacked against it. I was hung over from the relishing of my last evening in Britain. I’d spent it in enviable company, discussing the meaning of life over a precarious variety of wines

Twenty-nine. A piece inspired by 29 years of age + wisdom. 1. It is perfectly okay to buy yourself a cupcake, stick a candle in it, hum Happy Birthday and make... just one more birthday wish. 2. Few things in life change you like heartbreak. Because of it or in spite of it, it was still worth it. 3. Learn to love yourself and your life in every waking moment. When you achieve this, please let me in on your secret. 4. Believe in your wild dreams, know you will make them come t

Gaps. A piece inspired by the voices of London. Mind the gap between the platform and the train, she says. Mind the gap. Such a subtle reminder to be aware of the space between you -- and everything else. Gaps. We all have them - these empty spaces, these missing pieces of the life we want for ourselves that haven't quite found their way into our lives -- at least not yet. Gaps vary in shape and size, degrees of difficulty and tugging on the heart. We often feel that our gaps

Affair. A piece and a love inspired by New York. The sun paints the pinkest sky The twilight beckons its last goodbye City lights twinkle in readied reply These are the nights in New York. These are the nights that brought her in and captured her heart in an instant. But it was the unassuming passing of the days that turned her head in disbelief. Each time she strolled through Central Park, she marveled at its changes. How did the seasons fade to another so fast, she asked

Seek. A piece inspired by an afternoon with Passenger. 'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low Only miss the sun when it starts to snow Only know you love her when you let her go... Passenger {Mike Rosenberg} creates music that gets through to me on a level unlike any other artist. Arriving in my life at the tail end of my time in Edinburgh, his music carried me through my return to the US. Lyrics that touched me, supported me, understood me, and connected me b

Human. A piece, humbly inspired. "You must keep writing." An old friend slides in to the seat next to me. "I know, but... Oh, you've read my pieces?" "Every single one. You've gotta keep writing." I've always found it curiously strange how life delivers you messages precisely when you need them. My friend was right, but how could he know that in that moment, I was faltering. I started this blog as a travel writing space, and now, well, I'm not traveling. I'm anchored, for t

Resurrection. A piece inspired by NYC. Up until recently, I feared that New York was a step backwards. As if since I had been here before, I was reverting back in my life, instead of moving forward. The thing I realized is, these thoughts were just irrational fear and unchecked ego. Cut to a couple of months ago, as I was hunting the concrete jungle in search of my new home, I was repeatedly questioned on the motive for my move. "You're moving here!? To New. York. City. From