Back So Soon

When I left the city 3 Sundays ago, I thought it would be months, perhaps years before I'd returned to New York.  I thought I was done with the East Coast , convinced I'd return to my West Coast home. 

But yesterday afternoon I took a flight back to LGA and when I stepped off the plane, I was all smiles.  When I stepped foot inside my temporary sublet in the Upper West Side, the doorman to the apartment complex warmly welcomed me.  "You're back!"  I explained I had a job interview.

Later in the night my friend Bethanie and I reunited at our favorite gathering spot - George Keeley's, between 83rd and 84th Streets.  Although I received the job possibility through a girl in my Bible Study, I discovered this past week my friend Bethanie already works for the same family.  Oh, the irony.  She explained over dinner she is the one who crafted the job description.

After dinner the guys from the table beside us joined us, and we spent the remainder of the evening in their company.  We ventured down to Chelsea in a cab - conversing at the Beer Garden and then dropping by the Jane Hotel briefly.  The two men are from San Diego and do work in the non profit realm.  As it turns out, I'll see them both tomorrow at Charity: Water's seventh annual ball.

Today I ran Central Park in wonderment that I was back on its trails.  The ducks at the South Pond seemed to abound - 50, perhaps 60, all near the edge of the shore.  I wish he could have seen them.

Tonight, following church, I attend two different Christmas parties.  One involved church people, and the other, students I worked with at The King's College.  The only non college students present were two other writers who are much more impressive than me - Gabe Lyons and Alissa Wilkinson. 

Gabe wrote a book call The Next Christian and founded an organization called Q Ideas.  Alissa, for now, writes shorter articles, but will one day present her own masterpiece.