Living in New York you take a lot of things for granted, most of all the daily life on the streets and offices.  Yes, you do get jaded, yes, you learn the scams, the hustlers.  But you are one of the locals heading towards their destination despite any obstacles, and watching the tourists overwhelmed by what to us has become background noise in our minds and bodies.  No one can weave through crowds on the ground like a New Yorker by just peripherally adjusting your trajectory to what's most efficient around multiple obstacles (people/idiots with cell phones). Few have the panoramas from their office windows that rival those that we do.  On a more day-to-day level, most people in the suburbs have to drive to their impersonal grocery store and dry cleaners, instead of walking by and picking everything up on their way home from work, saving so much time and knowing your neighborhood stores on a more intimate level.

Having been born in New Jersey I've had quite a transition since moving to the city 9 years ago.  I often haven't truly appreciated just how lucky I am to have these moments of clarity of how things used to be in the suburbs versus the city lifestyle. As a transplant, I try to remind myself of what I've gained in experiencing this life in certain ways.  When I pass through Grand Central every morning I throw a passing glance at the starred ceiling and the central clock.  I'm realize that I'm privileged enough to get paid to be on a 30 Rock observation level in my daily workplace instead of paying for the view. Even in our MetroTech office, I can look out and see miles across Brooklyn and the Manhattan skyline from 17 stories up. I've always needed perspective, a vantage point that I can appreciate and re-frame my experiences to reconcile what I see with what I do and what I feel my opportunities are.

For now, I'm thinking of how grateful I am for these things.  I think that's a good place to be.