It's cold!
I forgot what it feels like to be chilly! Seriously. I really forgot.
I feel like my whole being is waking up, stretching and lifting my neck, and remembering the sensation of a cool Fall day.
Yesterday in the late afternoon I left the house to head downtown to meet Greg and suddenly there I was in a trenchcoat and heels, walking down the sidewalk, the trees overhead rustling in the cool breeze and my hands were in my pockets and it was Fall and I couldn't have been happier.
I was supposed to meet Greg at the Apple store on Michigan Avenue but I was so distracted by the lovely weather that I forgot my directions and even after I called Greg for a reminder I forgot what he said and so there I was on the red line headed downtown but with no idea of which stop I needed to get off at. I think I just figured there would be a Michigan Avenue stop but when I looked up at the list of above the door I realized there wasn't one.
I made a quick decision and hopped out at Chicago and skipped up the stairs onto the sidewalk and although it all looked very exciting and like downtown I still didn't know where I was. What a funny feeling! I called Greg but he didn't answer and then I kind of hovered around the Chicago stop waiting for him to call back. I don't know how it is that I can go to Taiwan and go traipsing all over the city by myself, riding subways and not speaking a lick of the language, but when I get off at the wrong stop in my new city I feel too shy to ask someone where I am.
Anyway, Greg called back a couple of minutes later and we figured it out and off I headed for Michigan, and fell right back into being absolutely delighted to be walking down the sidewalk in my trenchcoat and heels on a cool fall day and Michigan Avenue was so grand and like 5th Avenue in New York and everyone was out and I just really couldn't have been happier.
After the Apple store we popped into a little bistro for a glass of wine and to catch up on our days and then went to Borders to hear Sue read from her new book, Only as Good as Your Word and she was fantastic and funny and we all ended up at her brother's beautiful high-rise condo afterwards, drinking wine and looking out the floor to ceiling windows at the sparkling city.
Sue Shapiro is one of the most dedicated and motivated writers I've ever met. She's absolutely inspirational and if you've ever been curious about how to really get yourself out there as a writer, you should read her new book.
And now it's Tuesday morning and I've got the door to the back deck open and the cool Fall air is flooding the apartment and my feet are cold and I don't know what to do about that! I'm trying to remember what I did when I lived in New York. Did I wear socks? Did I have slippers? I have a feeling that my California flip-flops are not going to do the trick.
Today I resolve to finish unpacking most of my stuff, email Time Out Chicago about freelancing, work on my book and/or book proposal, go to a meditation class tonight, and finish a batch of thank you notes I owe all the lovely people in my life.
