A week before my birthday...

It's rainy outside. And as I look out to the brownstones in the distance through my living room windows, through the water-stained glass, I'm wondering what the next year will bring. I'm thinking about the things that I've done so far--nothing ground shaking or extra spectacular to anyone else. but to me, a life well worth living so far. 38 years old almost gone, and on to year 39. Maybe I should be thankful for the top 38 things in my life so far. Maybe that would give me a self-fulfilling feeling of accomplishment. Or just put it all into perspective. Whatever the case, here's a few of the list of things that I am thankful for. Note: This in no means that there are only 38 things that I'm thankful for. Neither is it listed in an order from 'least to most' importance. But things that I am thankful for include:

39. Good Eyesight.

If you know me, you'll know that I see as well (or maybe slightly better) then a drunken one-eyed nearsighted drunk walking home late at night through a fog. Slightly. Nevertheless, I'm very thankful that I can see despite my...ahem...challenges. Ahem. I remember my first summer here and walking in Chelsea. And I remember how disoriented I'd be everytime I'd walk up from the subway. The kind of disorientation like getting off of the Tilt-A-Whirl the first time you ride it on a Friday night. The excitement is tangible and the sounds of the fair are loud in your ears. You take the first step off after peeling yourself from the corner of the car and the world is still dizzying but the thrill is at level 10. Stepping into the humid sunlight felt better than the oven-baked platform 2 stories underground. But the disorientation was almost overwhelming. I pulled to the side of the busy sidewalk as people brushed past me, and I tried to focus on a stationary object in the distance and catch my breath. It was as I stared off in front of me that my eyes focused on a man walking towards me. He wasn't anyone necessarily noticeable, until I realized that he was holding a stick infront of him, tapping it rhythmically. I stood up straight and made sure to keep my distance. I stood there on the street fixated on this man tapping and walking before me. The thought of having to do that in the biggest, busiest, nosiest city in the country blew me away. How can this man trust his senses and a stick to get around New York?? It left me in awe, but also reminded me how thankful I am that even with these maka, I'm still blessed beyond what my eyes can (or cannot) see.