Phone Photo Ops - View of Life

I have become a green tea hound. I swear, I drink about twelve cups of it a day. Our office has unlimited supplies of various herbal teas, sodas and pretzels. I've been trying to trade the diet soda and pretzels and drink more herbal tea. I've even added it to my grocery list and crossed off the 12-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Mt Dew.

Trapped in my apartment by the nor'easter today, I've gone through almost half a box of green tea this afternoon while watching girly movies on WE. "Meet Joe Black" is ending now. Moments ago, I was standing in front of my one, large living room/bedroom window. That's where you stand when you live in a New York studio apartment - right on the slash.

I was gazing at the the Jersey lights across the Hudson through the lifting fog, sipping my warm green tea and glancing periodically to my left at the tiny blinking red beacon of the Empire State Building. From the television behind me, I was listening to one of my favorite cinematic speeches.

Anthony Hopkins' character William Parrish: "What a glorious night. Every face I see is a memory. It may not be a perfectly perfect memory. Sometimes we had our ups and downs. But we're all together, and you're mine ... for a night. And I'm going to break precedent and tell you my one candle wish - that you would have a life as lucky as mine ... where you can wake up one morning and say, 'I don't want anything more' ... Sixty-five years ... don't they go by in a blink?"

The break in the rain ended and new raindrops began to splatter against my window. Every building I could see from where I stood, the lights blinking on the Jersey shore ... will be a part of my memory - my first memories of living in New York City. It's not a perfectly perfect view. But it's my view ... until I decide to end my lease. Almost nine months gone by in my new life in New York City. I'll have to remember not to blink too long.

The orchestra in the movie was playing "What a Wonderful World" as Bill Parrish and his daughter danced their last dance. I continued to sip my tea and watched more lights appearing in Jersey.

With a little help from Anthony Hopkins, I had somehow found beauty in this day.

"It's hard to let go, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, Bill."
"That's life. What can I tell you?"