Happiness Guru

Today I met my NYC mentor at Cinema Brasserie in Midtown for lunch. I got there early, so I got a table by the window. Just as the server was pouring imported water in my glass, my mentor hurried in the restaurant on her cell phone. She quickly hung up and joined me for a hug. “Wonderful to see you, I’m so sorry I’m late. I was talking to my business coach”.
I just looked at her thinking, business coach? I have no idea what that is, but I want one!
“You have a business coach?” I asked. She stopped and looked at me like my eyes were melting down my face, “Well, yes dear, this is New York. Everyone has a business coach!”
What, how can this be! Here I was thinking I’m doing just fine in NYC, and I don’t even have a business coach. What am I missing out on?!
I made a quick mental note to myself, “Google business coach the second you get back to work.”
“Honey, you are not expected to have a business coach, but when you get to my level it becomes essential,” she adds. “In fact, just yesterday I went to lunch with my business coach, and HER business coach.”
WHAT! Now, business coaches have business coaches? How did I miss this corporate movement?!
“Actually,” she said, “her business coach has someone called a Happiness Guru. She is a professional happy coach.”
This is the moment I knew what kind of city I was living in. SVPs had business coaches, who have happiness coaches.
Forget about the business coach, I want a happy coach! That sounds more fun!
I briefly pictured myself sitting with my new Happy coach in Dylan’s Candy Bar drinking triple chocolate milkshakes laughing about the fabulous day I had.

But you have to wonder. At what point does your life become so complex that you need a business coach? And more disturbing, at what point does your life become so gloomy that you need a happiness coach? Are the two related? Or are we as a society obsessed with the idea of perfection in our profession and private life?

Knitting is the New Black

I signed up for a knitting class at the cutest knitting café in Union Square. I took a 1 hour private lesson, hoping I would learn more and have time to fix the mistakes I have been making.

Well, I showed up for my lesson to find my teacher is the complete opposite of my sweet aunt Judi (who taught me how to knit) .
I had a male teacher, that was Israeli, bald, with a thick beard and tattoos over his entire body!
He was very nice, and extremely knowledgeable, just not what I was expecting. I pictured someone like Judi waiting at the table for me. I was looking for someone motherly that thought I could do no wrong…and clearly that is not what I got.

Only in New York, do you sign up for a knitting class and your teacher looks like he is lead singer in an Israeli punk rock band.

My little town

Favorite Quotes:

-Thanksssss! - JB
- I feel like one peso - JB after a night out
- We are not in the South anymore - Caroline looking at a group of Jersey boys
- I fell doing the worm - JB
- Well, in college we use to.....oh my gosh, there is a midget! - sadly me...I was caught off guard
- ...(dot dot dot). - Caroline uses this so sentences never end
- Why is no one making fun of his pants! - me talking of a guy in plether pants
- Benjy, Billy, Buddy, Bobby, Barry, Barbra Ann - Carolines aunts and uncle's names
- You are dressed business casual for bed? - Josh

Doggie Daycare

This morning I got on the elevator in my apartment building and Tyson (the bulldog that lives in the building) was in the elevator with his dog walker. (I have never actually seen the owner. Every time I see Tyson, he is with his dog walker)

I played with Tyson on the elevator for a little bit then we walked outside. I turned to walk the 12 blocks to work, as Tyson gets in a LIMOUSINE that says "Doggie Diva Daycare" in sparkle letters. The dog walker had to pick up the fat, lazy dog just to get him in the limo.

I thought our dogs were spoiled getting to ride shotgun in dads truck. This dog has a limo pick him up for daycare!

This is what happens...

...when you lock up only the seat of your bike!

Dog vs. Kid

Washington Square park is one of my favorite places in the city. It's a square of concrete filled with wonderfully weird villagers and NYU students. Nothing is ever normal there (actually nothing is normal in NY). But I love how all groups of people migrate for a few hours a day to read, write, play, smoke or meditate.

Today I walked from my apartment to Washington Square to soak in the scene. I brought a new book, Glass Castle, and sat in the northeast corner of the park to escape city life and enjoy a book about someone’s miserable life.

Also in the northeast corner of this concrete oasis, is a playground. Like most New York playgrounds, all grass has been replaced with rubber. I noticed the different types of kids and parents. Some parents sat on the benches and barely watched the kids, while other parents stood in the middle of the playground monitoring everyone else’s kids but their own. I saw the high maintenance girl that wouldn’t play or socialize. I saw the bully and of course the geek. It was your typical playground with different types of parents/nannies and children with matching personalities.

Around chapter 5, my ADD kicked in and I needed to move. I walked from the northeast corner to the southwest corner to the Dog Park. I stood laughing out loud at all the lovable dogs when it hit me. There is no difference between these two parks. Yes one has dogs and one has little humans, but the relationships and activates are the same.

Some owners sat on benches surrounding the dog park, while others stood in the center yelling at other dogs, nervous that their dog would get sniffed from behind. I saw the young hippie with his matching mutt that he “rescued” from the UES shelter. The mutt would run in circles with the golden retriever whose owner was taking pictures to document the outing. I saw the older woman that no longer has animals but still brings biscuits for every dog at the park. I saw the young guy with his French bulldog puppy that he was excited to introduce to the park. The frenchy wanted nothing to do with the park instead walking from owner to owner begging for attention.

I like the world where dogs and humans have our own parks that mirror eachother. And, I like that we are not that different.

...living in an uptown world

Coming from "back woods" Florida/Alabama to NYC, this is where I remember the NY moments that have made me a better person. My short road is well traveled and here are the stories that make me smile.