I love the city. I love love love it. Over the last 8 years I have developed into a woman who knows not what “closed on Sundays” means. I go to free museums, central park is my backyard, and on a Friday night you could easily spot me in a French restaurant which has live jazz music on St Marks place (it’s a tiny spot, but I do love the vibe). In these dog days of summer though, one of the best parts about living in the city is the weekend routine of leaving it. The tall buildings here trap heat with no breeze. And when people become anxious about getting on a stale, hot air subway; traffic becomes insane with an uproar of cab hailing. The pressure of always being on the go, ordering your coffee quick enough to not piss off the person behind you, and being OK with the fact that you are going to have to touch someone on your morning commute because the train is overcrowded all starts to become too much when the temperature surpasses 90 degrees. So while Monday through Thursday we happy hour it at the Frying Pan, or get to free yoga classes after a long day…the weekend presents a different opportunity to explore a second life.
I totally get it now. When I first moved here, I couldn’t imagine leaving the city on weekends. I wanted to be here all the time. I had fallen in love. It seems as if over the years though I have learned that the city isn’t going anywhere. My whole life is here, and it will be here on Monday morning when the weekend is over as well. This summer, part of my mental health plan is getting the heck out of here! Some of my local favorite places to dart off to include the mountains in Pennsylvania, or the beaches of Rhode Island; but my most recent trip was to the Hamptons area of Long Island, specifically in the town of Amagansett. I am a coastal girl, always looking for an ocean to gaze at or some New England colonial atmosphere to soak up. My sister and I dance down the streets of Newport, Rhode Island over the simplest things like ice cream shops, and homes that were built in the 18th century. Amagansett has a charm about it that makes it another town on my list to dance down the streets of.
As I stand outside a farmers market here, I feel at peace. You would feel at peace too if you were eating the apple pie ice cream cone I was enjoying at the time. With an ice cream cone in my right hand, and my left hand scouring over the vegetables, I shop the produce that was grown just feet behind the cashier. Eastern long island is beautiful. The beaches are spotlessly clean, the farms still exist, and there are even vineyards to taste some local wine at. This trip I did all three. Only a few hours out of Manhattan, it is a country side safe haven, just perfect. Not to mention, the plum I snacked on tasted incredible. Is this what fruit tastes like when chemical sprays are not used and it didn’t travel on the back of a truck for 2 weeks? (Yes, eating local is not only healthier, it is better for the environment. And it tastes better. And provides jobs for your neighborhood….need I go on?)
In the early morning, there is the beach. Nothing beats the smell of salt water and the sound of waves crashing onto an empty beach. Since yoga has taught me how to breathe, I find myself sometimes breathing in patterns during times I am most relaxed, such as standing at the ocean. I contemplated going into a childs pose in the sand, but realized other women on the beach would assume there was some type of crazy beach yoga class about to start, and I didn’t want to go down that road.
It is amazing how a little time out of the concrete jungle in the hot summer months can completely restore you. How can I be two women in one? I don’t know, but I am. I am the country mouse and the city mouse, with many pairs of shoes. Whatever your happy place is, try and get there this summer at least once. For mental health, aim for 30 minutes of silence a day (wherever you are). Everyone has a “restore button”, and the more you hit it, the healthier you will be all the way to your core. And if any of you see me in a downward dog pose on the beach, you’ll know I caved and am having a real moment of peace for myself. That, or I am charging the women of the Hamptons to take a class of mine. Cash only. :)
*many thanks in this blog entry to my dear friend liz. Who, just like me appreciates a great view of the ocean and an ice cream cone.
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