Feist tells it like it is... kind of.

Today's guest post comes from my Rock Star friend, who lives in New York and is welcome to drink coffee outside in her pajamas at my house any time.

"In the meantime I've got it hard
Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay."

This weekend I had a minor meltdown about how hard it is to live in New York City. It's exhausting, it's expensive, it's loud, it's dirty, the people at the grocery store are mean, it takes a long time to get everywhere, etc., etc., etc. I was in tears dreaming of a little, quiet house of my own where I could sit outside in my pajamas and drink coffee.

I may have grumpily insisted that it will never ever get better and I will spend the rest of my life in a 6th floor apartment, living below someone who plays basketball indoors (true story!), schlepping all over hell's half acre just to find a goddamn can of tomatoes (why don't they have them at the corner store???), staring out my window at a creepy dude on his balcony staring back at me, sleeping with my blinds closed every night due to distaste of aforementioned dude, and generally hating it on a regular basis. And then just in the nick of time, as I was surrendering to a bleak vision of my future, along comes my blogging friend reminding me that I agreed to write a post about being thankful.

So first and foremost I am thankful for this assignment which has forced me to think about all the pretty great things I have going on.

I may not have a patch of grass to call my own, but thankfully I do have:

• My boyfriend Ed's endless supply of patience 
• My mom, who always is excited to talk to me when I call 
• Gummy candy 
• Friends who love me, even when I'm terrible at being in touch 
• An apartment next to the park 
• A fluffy kitty who sleeps at my feet 
• The means to eat delicious food on a regular basis 
• Sunday afternoons at home with Ed 
• 5,000 amazing things to do, eat, and drink within 5 miles of my apartment 
• My liquor cabinet (and Ed's ability make fancy drinks) 
• Zappos free returns 
• My best friend, Hannah, aged 4 
• More than one Shake Shack location 
• The chicken stew I made yesterday 
• The extreme hilarity and wit of my extended family 
• The knowledge that I never have to take another @$!%(@ bar exam again 
• Sunday morning services at All Souls 
• 5 big closets to hide all my stuff 
• 4 years at boarding school with the best ladies I know 
• My sewing machine and beautiful fabrics 
• Camp Takodah memories 
• A warm and cozy bed with clean sheets 
• Sharp knives (to cook with!) 
• My parents' divorce, because everyone is so much happier than they were 
• My lovely pink living room rug 
• Nanaimo bars 
• My curly hair 
• Air conditioning in the living room and the bedroom 
• Tickets to see Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch 
• Egg sandwiches, bloody marys, and the Sunday crossword puzzle on Saturday with Ed at the Farm on Adderley

Things are looking up on the 6th floor.