Tuesday marked my one month anniversary with the faire New York, and it's hard to believe time has moved so quickly. It's true when they say everything moves faster in old New York (I am sure Sinatra sang about that at some point).
Despite the months rather unexpected begining, the whole of it has been fairly calm. A grid system to decipher, jobs to apply for, and insecurities to overcome not withstanding, but life has a funny way of chugging right along no matter what city you find yourself in.
Thinking back on the past months changes, the one major change that sticks out in my mind has actually been a change within myself. You see, I am ashamed to admit it but I have never been particularly good with money. I was the queen of buying my lunch instead of packing it, ordering a second (or third, or fourth) drink when out with friends, and just making random impulse purchases on a whim. Most often they were small, but it's the small things that add up to one big bank statement at the end of the month. My theme song from time to time may have sounded something like:
"A ching-ching here, a ching-ching there, here a ching, there a ching, everywhere a ching-ka-ching."
I was very friendly with my debit card.
However, as if changing time zones somehow changed my internal molecular structure, moving to NYC has made a frugalist out of me. It's odd, and oddly satisfying. Literally in no time I have become rather discerning about what I spend, or choose not to spend my, money on. I pack my lunch every day, I take pleasure in having friends over, and pride in the fact that window shopping suits me just fine. It's as if...I am a real adult or something. I have to say, I give myself a little pat on the back for this, because no one, especially me, saw this fiscally conservative front coming.
If I am to be totally honest, I know this change would never have transpired had Jürgen not lost his job. Don't get me wrong I wish his show was still running, but I am strangely happy to have been handed this challenge. It's nice when you finally realize what you really need to be satisfied, and to know you are capable of adapting and changing.
Someone once told me "New York City is a great place to live, if you have money." I would beg to differ. I think New York is a great place to live, if you have friends, loved ones, kitties, and a bank account full of dreams.
Actually, I think it was Don Henley who sang about a "New York Minute." (And "New York Minutes" are on NY1, to which one's TV set in NY should be set to every morning for Pat Kiernan and his "Morning Papers"--if you have Time Warner or Cablevision.)
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that Frank sang more songs about Chicago than New York--at least one more. :)