Top of the Rock

Someone I respect immensely once said to me "do one thing every day that scares you." It sounded crazy. Why on earth would I want to do something that scares me? But watching him, watching how that adage changed him and made him stronger made me wonder if he wasn't on to something. So today I took that to heart and did something that scared me. I went to the Top of the Rock, which is the top floor of Rockefeller Center.

I am no fan of heights, I can rattle off a long and distinguished list of famous buildings I have not ascended. The Eiffel Tower, for instance. The Stratosphere in Las Vegas. I don't like heights. But today I managed to get myself into the elevator and then out of the elevator and out then out the doors and.... WOW. What an amazing view! I even went up to the upper deck. New York is an amazing place, and at ground level it is hard to appreciate the scale. The view from the top gave me a completely different appreciation of this city. The park, the river, the buildings that mark our history, they tell a tale from that height.

New York has been a revelation to me. I have toured the UN, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center and Grand Central; I have watched an amazing series of thunder storms pass over the place, done some people watching, a little shopping, a little gawking. And it has only been two days! Tomorrow it will be museums and the park, I think. And to top it off, I get to spend part of this with one of my favorite people.

It has been an amazing trip, I feel fortunate to have had the experience. Time to clear my head, face some fears, come to a better understanding of what I want to do next. I have learned that home is not a physical location, but rather a traveling feast of the people you want to spend time with. I have met some really wonderful people, seen some pretty wonderful things, and feel a new energy and purpose. And I promise to keep doing one thing every day that scares me.