I’ve just got back from New York. Somehow I managed to sleep 8 1/2 hours on the plane. Which is so weird given I don’t sleep that long in a bed…ever! I adore the city. It makes life feel expansive. But before I forget, a flotsam of observations:
1. I don’t like shopping, but I like checking out shop names. This city has some great ones. Like this one:
2. On my last day, I spent the morning with Oprah’s life coach Martha Beck. She is a Dead. Set. Legend. A wonderfully wise soul who has LIVED. She was raised a Morman in Utah, raped by her Dad, had a Downs Syndrome child then shortly after her husband announced he was gay and left. Not long after that she realised she was also gay. Hmph.
As we drank tea, she bent a spoon. She was illustrating how when she gets mindful she can ask matter to shift. Just like in The Matrix. I would be twice her size and I have very large hands. I couldn’t get the spoon to budge. More on this later.
She shared many insights, but I liked this one: studies show you can not be anxious and grateful at the same time. Which is why it’s good to have a grateful routine. She does. She reckons everyone should (simply reflect on 3? 7? 10? things you’re grateful for).
3. The new Breslin restaurant at the Ace Hotel. I ate there and had seafood sausage and braised fennel and it was truly unreal. They make their own salt and vinegar chips, too. And in the lobby you can sit and drink tea and work on your laptop (they provide free wifi) with other hipsters. The place is also resplendent with sweet touches. Like this message on the stairwell up from the loo. It made me stop and then my heart oozed relief.
4. I love how the flight number for the overnight QANTAS haul from New York is QF108. 108 is a highly auspicious – hyperfactorial and mathematically abundant – number. I always book this flight. Also, special shout out to the QANTAS stewards, there and back. They were a marvel of good spirits and bad jokes. One of them straightened my blanket on me during the night. Another kept bringing me chocolate and green tea.
4. The bacon is great. Full-stop.
5. My mate Tina (check out her NY blog AussieNewYorker) made this point over breakfast (with bacon) at Cafe Cluny: When New Yorkers bump into you (or get bumped into) they say “Excuse Me”; Australians say “I’m sorry”. Which says a lot. We are always hesitant and apologetic and seeking approval and permission. When we order, we say things like “Could I grab some salt, um, when you get a moment?” and “Is it alright if I get a side order of spinach…?” New Yorkers are certain and strident. They asked to be excused for something they don’t regret or are apologetic for. I think this latter approach, while a bit unsettling at first, is far more useful and true.
