Columbus Circle

NYC is sticker and culture shock after Granada. I am exhausted. Is it age? Where is that shot of adrenaline that usually accompanies the stay in New York? There is so much merchandise here. People really care about their stuff. What stands out is the increased number of chains on one end and the huge number of precious cupcake shops on the other. Also, everyone rushes down the street looking at smart phones.

I am acutely aware of the amount of promise the year ahead held as we made this same trip last year. On the brink of an adventure then and at the end of another ordinary year now. The brain habituates.

I am having transition issues. I feel overwhelmed by the world here. People ask me about Nicaragua and I am completely inarticulate, unable to explain the differences, impressions. I have, at many times, nothing to say.

Whole Foods. Wow.

Central Park is full of blooming linden trees. The best smell on earth. I am running kind of slow; I love being able to go out later in the day and not suffer from the heat.