Enough

Yesterday was one of those rare, perfect days in New York – brightly sunny and cool, with no hint of humidity. Spring and Fall are rare in this city of extremes; it is sadly either uncomfortably hot or cold.

Mark and I enjoyed a mini shopping spree in the East Village and Soho. The streets were not so crowded until we got below Houston. Mobs of tourists moved slowly among the bazillion boutiques, buzzing between Agnes B, Prada, Bloomies and the endless one-off stores.

At my favorite store, Mark bought me a pretty dress. It was a sweet gesture, and he was jubilant. Mark is having a great year so far, and he was celebrating, toting around a big wad of bills.

We topped it off at one of our favorites, an Ethiopian restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. The waitress brought us the giant savory pancake covered with vegetarian dishes and a beautiful spread of lamb bits in the middle. With each bite we said out loud, ‘deeeelicious’, or ‘wow’, or ‘so good’, until we’d completely gorged ourselves.

It was a really nice day, and I went to bed full and exhausted. Despite this, I awoke at 4 am, my head full of mental chatter. I got a drink of water, then another, and then I couldn’t settle back to sleep. I took a hot shower to relax and thought about Bhuddism, about cleansing my mind and being immersed within the present moment.

As I settled back, Mark woke up. He was hugging his pillow.

’How come you’re up and down?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘We were consumers today.’

‘Yes.’

At some point I fell asleep, and I awoke this morning to clatter in the kitchen. Mark was busy making his coffee, emptying old grinds into the garbage, opening and closing the fridge, steaming the milk.

I’ve heard these sounds a hundred times before. I lay quietly with the sheet pulled up over me, taking it all in.


Photo by Soupflowers. For more great images, click here.