I have been back in NYC for a little over 2 weeks now. I still can't say that I have slipped sweetly into the New York life :). Even more than when I first moved to the US, I feel a touched by the amesome, and yet, not-ness of the city! LOL. Living in Italy for the last three months has somehow peeled the veil from my eyes. I still love NYC, but, she just seems a little rougher around the edges.
Despite my readjustment, what has always bound me to this place and holds me close again are the people... the vibe of the city thrumming with the passions, pride and ambitions of all the people living, working and being here.
Taking the excuse of catching some Holiday cheer I walked around the city's Holiday markets. It was also a perfect opportunity to try out my new lens - Nikkor 55-200mm that I picked up as a Christmas gift to myself. It's a zoom lens and am still figuring out how to make the most of it. I did stumble upon a gem of an use.... distance voyeur-ing on what people are eating and drinking.. hehe. It's amazing! I can be non-intrusive and capture these amazing expressions on people's face and how animated food makes them! Even that is all I get, it was a good "thumbs up" investment!
Around this time, I know it is typical to make resolutions and set goals for the year. In the past, I have thought about this. 2016 was such a packed year that I am still processing all that happened and building myself through these experiences. Oddly, I had set aside the last 2 weeks of the year when I was back in NYC as "Reflection Time" but I was not too efficient about it. In reality, I simply forgot how many distractions NYC offers and well, I was weak! ha.. But that's ok ... and being ok with plans undone is one of my goals for this year.
2017 is already filled with plans and ideas. Betwixt those and for those, there are three things I want to remain conscious of -
Take Time to and for Myself
To nurture, love and feed my inner self. Appreciate myself to eat wll, exercise physically and mentally
Respect Something in Every Person
It is human to judge and boy, I am guilty too. But my focus this year is to find atleast one positive thing in people I met, talk to, am with, to learn from, appreciate and focus on.
Leave the Negative, Be Positive
It is easy to get lost in what isn't, can be better and it is a downward spiral for myself and leads to very little good, I have realised. So, this year, my goal is find ways to remain positive, especially, knowing when to step back to regain objectivity and prevent myself from being dragged down.
At the market - chimney cake new york style!!
The holiday cheer....!
What's on your list for 2017?
I would love to hear what your dreams and plans are for this year. This year is also about being present and available for those whom I can be of help to. So, if there is any way I can be useful for you for, please do reach out to me! You can find here at asha@forkspoonnknife.com or on Twitter or Instagram. Even if you just leave a note "Asha, I need your help", I will write back to you.
And, on that note,