Recharge

This weekend, my birthday weekend, has been a good one.

It began with a cab ride, speaking in Italian to cab drivers and understanding replies in French, and noticing the universals of language and music. It followed with a train ride, always food for contemplation, and then more food.

I love New York, with its sophistication and revelry in the sheer amount of people it holds seething in its arms. The weather was unpleasant, but just quietly observing the inhabitants of New York is entertainment and compensation enough. I arrived, and then we went to the Isamu Noguchi Museum, in Long Island City, one of the most industrial parts of New York. It is a wonderful space, with inside and outside meeting and mingling and having conversations. Noguchi is a sculptor that does not evoke strong emotion but rather a sense of tranquility that reminds me of reading Buddhist texts; quiet and contemplative.

Now, I sit, feeling happy and in a celebratory mood, fresh from the congratulations of all my friends at reaching the milestone of ceasing to be a teenager. I am older now; there is no looking back. I enjoy the simple pleasures of life now, but also the sophisticated bits as well; one thing has been constant, though, and that is my love of learning. Still, I throw myself into classes and enjoy the act of learning itself.

My bonsai tree is thriving; I transplanted it to a larger pot today. I cannot wait to see how it will grow!