New York City Empowered

C'est moi in a purple beret. And the City looking bright on a crisp November day.

I wake with a slight heartache for the City. My morning daydreams are of Brooklyn. A stroll around the bustling neighborhood of Front Greene. A cappuccino and writing pause at the community coffee shop Smooch. Walking down the City streets with a very dear friend, laughing and marveling at the sights. New York City cast its spell, leaving me a bit star struck and imparting some empowered New York attitude.

Inside the colorful and bohemian coffee shop, Smooch, my cappuccino and writing hangout in Brooklyn.  

Lately, I’ve been working on boosting my confidence center (the third chakra), and a trip to New York City (to see a dear friend and visit Columbia University for a graduate program) turned out to be the perfect challenge for a Southern Gal seeking to cultivate more kick-ass power.

My wise yoga mentor was the first to make this revelation. In a pre-trip coffee catch-up date with her, I shared a few current struggles (even sharing I was nervous about hailing a cab from the airport) and she weaved them together, showing that many of them stem from not feeling comfortable and confident in speaking up for myself and my needs. Becoming aware of this pattern of not voicing my needs helped make it a priority as I prepared and navigated my way to New York. 

The Universe was quick to put me to the test. Traveling to New York City demanded that I speak up for myself. My flight into the City was cancelled and I got rerouted into a nearby airport in New Jersey. The nerves about hailing a cab from the airport vanished when presented with the whole new challenge of getting from Newark, New Jersey to Brooklyn. So, I spoke up. I talked with the airlines, family and my friend in Brooklyn about how to get to my friend’s place safely and soundly. I practiced being mindful of the present moment, embracing all what encompassed my experience of waiting for the delayed plane and figuring out the next travel step.

My phone announced its final stage before battery death at the same moment when I realized that my bag had gone MIA at baggage claim. Exhaustion threatened to turn into hysteria, but the power center spoke up, commanding for me to pull it together, talk to the airlines, find a ride and get to Brooklyn in one piece. Around midnight I arrived in the glittering City and stepped out onto a curb in Brooklyn, which was still buzzing with City life (a film crew shooting a scene on the corner) and into the welcoming embrace of a best friend.

My stay in New York continued to offer lessons for my power center. Beginning, curiously, with my missing bag. 

Brene Brown reading and a gorgeous scarf from Tibet, a beloved gift from a world-traveler friend, were must-haves for the trip. And the beret. I’m kinda in a French fashion phase.  

My bag only went MIA for one night of my stay, but I still had a reaction to not having my things and realized my strong attachment to my clothes and makeup. Honestly, I tend to feel more confident when I feel good about my fashion ensemble and when I’m wearing a little bit of makeup. It’s a shortcut to confidence. True confidence is feeling rock star awesome and gorgeous no matter what.

That first morning in Brooklyn challenged this fashionista to adopt a more natural and rugged traveler look.  As I dared myself to venture down unknown streets and get a little lost, I did feel confident, the type of confidence born out of proving you can do something a little courageous on your own. I also felt beautiful because I was delighting in my surroundings, in new discoveries (a park in the middle of the neighborhood, a café called La Defense) and when I walked down a street called Carlton Avenue, I fell rather in love.

I could live here, I dreamily mused, strolling under brilliantly colored trees, passing charming townhouses and neighbors pushing strollers and walking dogs.

 In New York City inspired dreams, I live in one of these charming townhouses in Brooklyn and with a city savvy basset hound. 

Carlton Avenue is where my mind goes when I think of New York. The love at first sight feeling happened for me on Carlton. When I think of Carlton, I think of that first heartbeat of love for Brooklyn, of my friend and hear us laughing and feel that laughter radiate out through my being. This is a soul-friend; I can be vulnerable and joyful with him. He makes me laugh, liberating laughter that reconnects me to a playful and confident self.

And this confident self was taught a lesson even when it came to crossing the street. At the beginning of my stay, I was slightly petrified when crossing the street and the taxi cabs did not hesitate in inching up to the stream of pedestrians, ready to zoom through once there was a clearing. I was quickly pin-pointed as a tourist because I would jump back and throw up my arms in an pleading effort, “PLEASE DO NOT HIT ME!!!” Toward the end, taking cues from the natives, I went at my own (quick) pace and gave those taxis a raised eyebrow, “It’s my right-of-way, Buddy.”

A quick!quick! snapshot. 

This attitude travels back with me to Lexington. Though I was most definitely out of my comfort zone during most of my stay, and I welcomed that experience, it’s the memory of New York, the moments of courage, the laughter shared with a best friend, that remain and empower me here, in my hometown. These memories will continue to sparkle me up and get that confidence center shining bright, like New York City lights.