City/Country Strolls

Fall is my favorite season & I love getting outside to take in the sunshine, clear air & excitement of the start of the new & cozy season...

in NYC...

the ladies at Saks are preparing for the most glamorous time of the year... 

Reem Acra

Marchesa

a beautiful bronze sculpture in Madison Square Park...

the light dappling on the buildings of Soho warms my heart...

& in the Hudson Valley...

apple looters!

to walk while watching the leaves fall is total magic...

It's a good thing I can stroll in peace knowing the foster kittens are running the show at the office...picking out paint colors is hard work!...

photos: me

9/11/01: 2,977 Forever Young

Thirteen years later tears still stream down my face remembering the nightmare that unfolded in my beloved city on a gorgeous & sunny Tuesday morning.  It was a horror movie but it was real & to this day I still can't really comprehend that it happened.  When I walk past I respect that it's a mass graveyard & send love to all we lost.  After the horror, I know that they now live in eternal light & peace.  Seeing the gleaming One World Trade Center fills me with hope & while I will Never Forget I will also never forget how NYC bonded together.  We were all there for each other that day & through the aftermath- workers at the site, business owners reopening their shops, coworkers helping each other get through another anxiety filled day.  In the end, love always prevails over evil, light always conquers darkness....& you don't f**k with NYC :)

My post from last year....

Thoughts, love & prayers to all of those who perished & were affected by 9/11.  We will never forget you.  Twelve years ago my coworkers & I ran from the dust cloud consuming lower Manhattan.  At first we were told we were being bombed.  It was like getting hit on the head with a frying pan....I remember thinking, I don't want to die at a job I'm miserable at, I haven't become the person I always wanted to be....that was just as terrifying.  We soon found out to our disbelief that the towers had fallen.

I wanted to spend more time on this post but the takeaway is this...live with absolutely no regrets.  Say what you need to say, do what you need to do, tell the people you love how you feel about them, if you need to apologize or have a resentment drop your ego & make peace, live everyday with an open heart & follow your dreams relentlessly.  No matter how healthy, young & heck, even beautiful you might be, 9/11 is a horribly sobering reminder that you are never guaranteed another day on this planet.  Cherish each one, spread the love & go to bed every night knowing that if tomorrow was your last day, you would enter the light in peace with no regrets.

I ran the 2011 NYC marathon in memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11, wearing this shirt I designed.

photos: me

Are We Having Fun Yet??

Do you know that the average child laughs 300 times a day?  And guess how many times the average adult laughs a day.  A measly 15.  These are not good statistics my friends.

What is the point of being here if we're not having fun?  Like it or not, we are all on this planet together- why not make it a fun & joyful party?  Let's love, create, do the things that make our heart sing & most importantly laugh up a storm while doing so.  Turn off the news & its gloom & doom (it causes feelings of stress, depression & helplessness).  Put on Comedy Central, Seinfeld or your comedy of choice (laughter reduces stress, boosts your immune system & creates overall feelings of well-being & happiness).  Or even better meet a friend & laugh together.

If you're thinking, how can I have that much fun?  How can I laugh that much?  Life is serious business!  Don't worry, there are inevitably going to be those life moments of sadness, frustration & tears so we need to fill ourselves up with as much joy & laughter as possible to get through them when they do come.

When is the last time you told someone your favorite joke?  Do you even have a favorite joke?  If not, go out & get one!  Mine is:

What do you get when you cross a penis & a potato?  A dictator.

Silly, I know, but it gets me every time! :)

This post is dedicated to Robin Williams & Joan Rivers- two shining stars who brought countless laughs to the world through their creativity, fearlessness & vulnerability.  Let's do right by them & kick those kids asses.  Can we hit 350?  400?  In fact, I might stop talking & only communicate by laughing.  Game on you little punks.  Oh, you think that's funny??

photo: 1