This weekend I get to go to New York City to help celebrate a friend’s thirtieth birthday. (I, too, went to NY and Long Island for mine). I am to fly in on Saturday, stay the night at the Waldorf Astoria and go to a Broadway show. Finally, checking off an item on my bucket list: Stay the Waldorf Astoria.
When this morning, a twenty something coworker questioned me about flying in versus driving in or busing in, it occurred to me that there are certain activities I that I have retired since turning thirty. Not to say that they are below me, but more that I’m so tired of not being comfortable whilst traveling/vacationing. In my twenties, I rode the Chinatown Express many a times with several meaningful experiences like getting a flat tire on our way in Jersey and waiting several hours to get another bus or sitting next to the Jamaican preacher who thought it was God’s will to convert me via multiple sermons during our four-hour journey. One year, I drove to NYC to move and then, turned around to drive my car back the same day to drop it off and took the Greyhound back. Needless to say, I drove/rode to New York most of the time swallowing down my nausea many a time.
When I turned 30, a few years ago, I made an executive decision about NYC:
1. Travel there in comfort
2. Walk the city on my own for at least 30 minutes on every trip
3. Always eat well
4. Purchase one memorable item
One without my experiences, who may not have lived in the city, may be quick I judge calling me excessive or shi-shi. My response? Try it before you knock it!
Life’s about you! As my students reminded me a couple of years ago: YOLO, Ms. C. It’s about giving myself permission to spend some of the money that I work so hard to earn. It’s about feeling comfortable and satisfied.
So this weekend, this thirty-something girl, grateful to have lived through her twenties, intends to YOLO it! Even if it means doing something low-key or a complete splurge or a little more comfortable.
