I've lived in
New York State all my life. And I can honestly say that I could not
imagine living anywhere else. New York amazes me. If your in
The City you could find yourself in the country inside of an hour. You've got great
skiing in the winter and
sunny beaches in the summer. In fact I've got to say thats one of my favorite parts of
New York State, is
Lake Ontario. I remember a few years back, on a clear, clear night, I stood on the shore of Lake Ontario and I could see the ambient light from Toronto and the Thousand Islands. That lake is beautiful, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I was still living within
a stone's throw.
But tonight my mind is in
The City. I'm listening to
New York State of Mind by
Billy Joel. I've got it on repeat. It's one of those nights. I just spent the night out with
Debbie, wandering the streets of
Saratoga. Saratoga is about 200 miles north of New York City, if I am estimating correctly. And it is not a whole lot like
The City. But as we walked we heard a couple of guys playing bongo drums. And it just reminded me of a recent trip to
New York, walking through the subways, hearing people play a trumpet, or sing. And thinking I love this city, from the tallest building, to the guy singing in the subway for spare change. I've always wanted to be a
writer. And I hear Billy Joel sing "
it was so easy, living day by day", and I wonder: Could I do it? Could I live with out knowing where my next paycheck was coming from, just so I could live in
New York and try to make it as a writer? To give up my miserable job, I'd do it in a second. But to give up the comfort of a home, bills that I know will get paid, so I could live as a writer (maybe doing that living in a box) in the Big Apple? What do we have to give up to pursue our
dreams, or do we have to give any thing up at all?