I was shocked to see how much time has passed since my last post. I think it is the longest gap ever. Normally time away from this important outlet in my life is accompanied by guilt, but on this occasion I have to say it wasn't -- simply because I didn't have a sense of how much time had passed and how quickly.
The title of the post reflects my thinking, having been back in New York just about two months now. Having moved from my old places (NYC and Boston) into one place containing all of me -- well, at least my wordly possessions, as wanderlust remains an ineluctable part of my being (I've already been to India for two weeks, and any of my friends who happen to be reading this from interesting locations, don't be too surprised to find me on your doorstop some time soon...)
Being back under one roof, in this city that I love to live in, part of me feels as though it's taking up where I left off, from however far in the past you measure my exodus from New York. (For me, and hence for this blog, it was 2007, when I went off to London, but the Boston commute had begun as far back as 2005, although I didn't know then that it would become a feature of my life for so many years). But the other part of me feels that everything has changed. Of my best friends, only a few still live here (still many good friends, but you know what I mean - the friends with whom you feel at liberty to invite yourself over, to crash whatever they are doing, and likewise appreciate whenever they treat you the same way). With its constant reinvention, even my favorite streets and blocks have changed in their own ways (in many cases, for the better I should add).
But it does make we wonder what defines this blog, and what should define my writing efforts going forward. I started the blog as a way to record and communicate my thoughts on being an Indian living in New York dis/placed in London, and as a way to join part of a community not define by the boundaries of place. And in this we have succeed beyond all expectations. The blog itself, and all of you, have become friends, lifelines and moorings at the same time.
While I wrestle with what the next direction in my writing should be, it's also true that the Flugelbindery has welcomed me back with a double-wide inbox, if you know what I mean. I'm grateful, of course, because the one greatest pleasure of the last two months has been the sensation of waking up in the morning, knowing exactly where I am and knowing that the farthest I have to go for the day is a 15 minute walk over to the office.
Well, thank goodness for the RSS readers and e-mail subscriptions (the latter a new feature on the right). If you're not subscribed to one of these, and you're interested in updates as they come, do sign up, in case my updates become a little irregular over this period.
Even though it's not back to school for most us, it still feels that way, doesn't it? The crisp autumn air (except for our readers in the Southern Hemisphere...). Some people feel like going apple picking or grape stomping around now. Me, personally, I feel compelled to visit a stationery store. So I wish you all a great back-to-school period, and more soon...
| It's how I feel these days... |
bb
P.S. I can't write about New York on 11 September and not note the date. Perhaps some other time I'll write about my own experiences, which were trivial compared to what was going on that day but are, as for many people, nonetheless etched in my memory. But it's a day to remember and honor the joy and the suffering of this beautiful city.
