New York miracle
Oh, hi friends!
There’s a lot of scaffolding in New York. Buildings get old. They need work. Scaffolding and sidewalk sheds go up. Workers work. (Or not.) Sometimes the scaffolding stays up for years. Decades.
Over the weekend, while I was walking to the park, I noticed the sky looked brighter. The sidewalk shed skirting a block-wide building on my corner had disappeared.
Incredible! Freedom!
I could finally see the beauty of this prewar building, dogs and people could enjoy the wider sidewalk. It was nice.
Guess they finally finished their work…
Two days later, the street was blocked off. Workers were back in front of the building, hoisting tall steel pillars.
They were setting up scaffolding. New scaffolding.
But that’s simply how it goes, isn’t it? You think you’re done, but you’re only done with this phase, this part.
You must build again. And again. And again.
And while I miss the temporary brightness on that corner, I remember those sidewalk sheds kept me dry during the winter, when I’d run my mile around the block.
And when I’m finishing up a loop of the park, they signal a coming home—there, that’s where I live.
The pillars and the protection will come down, eventually, I’m sure.
And the building will be better.
And the workers will move on to their next project.
You will, too.
I Worried
by Mary Oliver
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
A Must-See Broadway Musical
A Strange Loop opened this week, and I haven’t seen a musical this daring, witty, ambitious, beautiful, creative, and ORIGINAL in…a long long time. Creator Michael R. Jackson describes the show as "a musical about a young Black gay man named Usher who works as an usher at a Broadway show who is writing a musical about a young Black gay man named Usher who works as an usher at a Broadway show...who is caught in a self-referential loop of his own self hatred.”
If you’re in New York, I can’t recommend it enough. (TodayTix is a good resource, and there's also a daily digital lottery for $39 tickets!)
And if you’re not in New York, this NPR Tiny Desk Concert is an absolute gem, and gives you a sense of this dynamic ensemble—and its irrepressible lead Jaquel Spivey, making his Broadway debut after graduating from college last May.
GO GET ‘EM.
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
You can also support my work by checking out my motivational journal, Do It For Yourself, designed to guide you through your creative and work projects, and my upcoming journal Do It Today, which encourages you to find time for the things that matter most to you.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara