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4.09.2013

a perfect Brooklyn Sunday (also, Peter-Paul and Sjoerd do life on this side of the East River)







when Natalie called me on thursday and told me she had met two Dutch men visiting from Amsterdam and that we'd all be going out on friday night, i thought nothing of it. 

and then friday night proved one of those evening that people who don't live in new york think we new yorkers have all the time. 

can i let you in on a secret? i can probably count those nights on both hands (and keep in mind i've been in new york for nearly nine years now). 

but when they do happen? they make all the other nights worthwhile. 

i think those nights must happen to Natalie more often than the average new yorker--1. because she can make friends with anyone and 2. she's better at saying yes to life than anyone i've ever met

when Peter-Paul and Sjoerd (yup) and i went out on Sunday (Natalie had general conference) they asked if i was hesitant when Natalie first called--wasn't it odd to go out with two strange men? i thought for a second. if anyone other than Natalie had called than yes, i would have been skeptical. but coming from her, it seemed just as it should be.

i think much of the point of living in new york and being young and untethered is saying yes to precisely those sorts of phone calls.

there is so very much i want for my life. and much of it revolves around stability and what is known. and much as i want those things i understand they will be the death of galavanting around Brooklyn one sunday with two men i've just met. so until that day that brings stability and a child to care for and a more permanent home i will say yes to just as many strange stories as i can--i will collect those definitive new york evenings, attempt to fill two more hands with their numbers and stories. 

getting to show the boys Brooklyn was so exciting for me. i wanted them to see what they'd never have found in the tour books. 

we did Brooklyn bridge park in the morning (and yes, i made them ride the carousel), followed by vinegar hill house for brunch--there really is something about that teensy-sliver-of-a-neighborhood that makes me feel a little closer to divinity--like its actually three feet up into the clouds. 

{i knew they were my people when they always opted for sparkling (gas) water. also they were both very tall, which made me feel petite and feminine, which is not something i'm accustomed to. it's the little things}.

on our way to the train, i heard my name, and ran into my friend Timothy who i allowed to divert us to SMORGASBURG (a flea market of food that's in Williamsburg on Saturdays and DUMBO on Sundays). it was such a classic New York moment. in a city so large, it can still feel so small as you run into friends on the street.

from there we headed to Williamsburg where we walked along Bedford Ave and then got take-out pizza from Il Fornino that we brought to a picnic table near the waterfront. 

our final stop on our adventure was the rooftop bar at the Wythe Hotel where we sampled three different whiskeys and soaked in the fantastic view of Manhattan. 

it was the perfect day. it really was. 

if i had to write a guide book for tourists visiting Brooklyn that would be the day. exactly that day. Peter-Paul and Sjoerd felt like they were seeing something few tourists get to see (or so they said) and i felt like i was falling in love with life on this side of the East River all over again. 

when we finally parted ways and i got off the F train in Carroll Gardens i felt the skin around my eyes soften ever-so-slightly--felt the tension i always carry center of my chest release almost imperceptibly. i love the whole of Brooklyn, but there is something about this pocket of it that sings to me. 

sometimes i think i moved to the wrong neighborhood--other areas are more exciting, with more young people and more to do. but then i return home to this place and there is that thought and that perfect word: home

this place feels like home. every part of my body embraces it. and even if, for me, the only joy of Carroll Gardens was returning home to it, that alone would be enough. 

16 comments:

Shawnee said...

just beautiful. i truly enjoy reading your writing. and feeling it -- it always sinks deep into my soul and bones.

what a grand day for the record books!

JCP Eats, www.jcpeats.com said...

What a fun day - and experience. I'm so happy that they got to see the beauty that you know oh so well.

leah. said...

what a lovely day! and how fun to play tour guide to such handsome men...

lucky pretty you!

Anonymous said...

What an amazing day! You look like old friends, not strangers. Sometimes I hate showing people around Brighton, because so much of it is touristy. Then when you get to show them tiny streets and unique shops and food - it makes it all ok!

Hannah Nicole said...

wonderful! what a beautiful day. you all look like old friends and your words carry the warmth of coming home. just lovely. xx

Unknown said...

Hi Meg,

I love reading your blog and how fun that you took 2 Dutch guys under your wings last Sunday. I'm from Holland myself(living in DC) and love to hear that you showed them a good time :)

Lisa said...

Sounds like a wonderful day! I love reading your blog...it's like story-time.

xo Lisa
Making Life's Lemons

Brady said...

I really love this post. It's kind of exactly what I needed to hear right now.

Alice said...

This sounds absolutely perfect. I want to know some people like this- sadly, my friends who have all the get up and go live far away, and the ones close by have to book me in three weeks in advance. Decided I am now going to be this person, and take MYSELF out more. x

MERN said...

I love what you wrote here! I am with you on wanting to say yes and experience life. I took off to Mexico to watch General Conference on the beach. It.was.epic. I will always remember that conference now. I am sure Natalie can tell you that with General conference twice a year, every year, sometimes they all mush together. This one will always be special now.

Unknown said...

This is wonderful Meg, I was just thinking about how I want to embrace simply saying yes to life. I used to be the person that would've said no to something like this. And I was wrong.
I'm going to say yes to life :)

colleen said...

oh gosh i love those days - they don't happen very often, but when they do they just make it all so wonderful. you captured this perfectly.

Julia said...

looks like a wicked cool day!!

Sabrina Katherine said...

That paragraph, about knowing that you want a stable life but knowing it would mean the end of this sort of adventure, is exactly how I feel. I'm getting married soon and I love him more than I thought I could love anyone, but there is that sliver, that small part of me, that worries about the end of these sort of adventures. Thank you for this, because it is giving me the courage to say "yes" to the adventure, whether it is with him or friends or both.

On a side note, I absolutely love your blog. You are a beautiful writer! My friends Sam and Laura (who you know and cherish as well!) got me hooked. Thank you for your gift, it keeps me inspired every day. :)

Alex said...

This is an awesome story. I liiive for randomness like this. It's what being young and free is all about :)

lowren77 said...

I love reading your blog! Not sure how I found it, but it's fun to live a little vicariously through you. I lived in NYC in my 20's and now that I'm "on the other side" with two kids, a house and some chickens in California, I find myself missing my New York past. This post made me remember some of the crazier experiences I said "yes" too---and I don't regret one bit! It's a lot easier to enjoy those bits of adventure that life throws at you when you're without kiddos. So glad to see you're enjoying yourself! Thanks for your posts!