And it might really surprise you. It might be the friend that you never suspected; the one who stayed out with you till all hours of the night (in your, er, younger days), the friend who should have been a model, the friend who by befriending you made you feel "cool" simply by being in her presence. A true friend who turned into an amazing mother and did it with style and grace and effortlessness.
Enjoying my friend's lovely backyard in Westchester |
I've lived in the city for 13 years, and so far NYC is still winning, but the 'burbs are closing in on me in an uncomfortable battle for my friends, with the winner receiving a lawn mower and a swing set in the backyard.
It's not that I don't understand. Obviously, I know by now that when children come along, life changes in many, MANY ways. The friends who have taken the deep plunge into the suburbia pool have been seduced by more space, a yard, better schools, more space, close proximity to Target, more space. Did I mention more space? And while I certainly can't blame them, it does makes you stop and think.
Rethink.
Reconsider.
In my quiet moments (of which there are about 2 per day), I do sometimes wonder... what are we doing here anyway? Is there, in fact, a world outside NYC? Seems hard to imagine, though visiting their homes with all that square footage makes me "get it" a little more.
While I still feel as though we are here for the long haul, and that NYC is a fantastic place to raise little citizens of the world, I would say for the first time that I am open to the possibility of life outside NYC. Not the 'burbs, necessarily. The commute would kill Husband and all that extra space wouldn't be worth it if were just me and the kiddies.
Starting over somewhere completely fresh and new has its appealing qualities, though. And I suppose the allure of the suburbs was that next step for my friends. If and when we take that same plunge remains to be seen... but for now, I will enjoy hopping on the train for visits to a faraway land known as Suburbia. And inevitably, in that quiet moment or two on the train, I will think about what it would be like to have a lawn mower and a swing set.