2008 calls for a fresh perspective. I just finished reading 'Holy Cow' by Sarah McDonald. The final pages inspired this blog. Before I explain, I'll preface what she wrote by saying this: the past few months I've felt unsettled. Moving to a new city, and acquiring a new job can do this to a person, but this doesn't seem to be the answer...it's almost like all moments in life blend together into the category, neutral. It's like eating a meal created by Jamie Oliver and walking away with pangs of hunger.
So, onto the book. I've never been to India, but 'Holy Cow' is an account of Sarah McDonald's self-discovery in the country. What I can relate to is her interpretation of a foreign country "...its ability to find beauty in small things - the tattoo of circles on a camel's rump, a bright silk sari in a dark slum, a peacock feather in a plastic jar, a delicate earring glinting by a worn face...".
I think that's what I've been missing since moving to NYC - that feeling of fascination when coming across something so beautiful, intimate or delicate. Just as many people say anything is possible in India, I think a similar stance can be taken with the Big Apple. Things here exist in such great quantity, grandeur and/or simplicity, that I can't seem to feel astonished about any day to day observations. There's no jaw-dropping moments. No eyes turning wide or moments where I stop and stare because something so beautiful has taken my breath away. But perhaps that's what happens when you're no longer a tourist but a resident in a new city - you become somewhat oblivious to the beauty that lies next door. They say a picture is worth 1000 words...I think that's a valid statement as long as you're not looking at the same picture, through the same lens, every day.
As a new year unfolds, I'm going to attempt to take the techniques of observation used while abroad, and apply them to living here. While I don't expect to see elephants roaming wild in the jungle, or lanterns appearing like pin holes in the sky, perhaps I can scratch away at the superficial facades and see what really does lie beneath. And what astonishing qualities do exist next door.
Happy New Years and may 2008 be filled with new-found beauty.
