James Nord gave quite the toast at his annual black tie birthday party this year and here I am a month later still thinking about what he said. Thankfully he documented the speech on his Instagram page, so I can quote him directly:

“Why do we do any of this? There are certainly easier ways to live. Simpler lives devoid of crippling anxiety, claustrophobic stress and $3,000 rents. There are, I hear, alternatives. But I suspect for many or most of the people in this room, simplicity isn't the thing driving your life choices. I think for most of the people here, you came to New York or stayed in New York to see just how big of an adventure you could make your life. You drink more than your Mom approves of, save less than you should and bite off more than you can chew. I think that it's the big, irrational choices we make in life where we find ourselves. It's like you have to get in over your head to see how tall you are.”

It’s not a new idea, but lately I find myself asking that same question, “Why do we do any of this?” Why do we put ourselves in these positions where we have to work 10x harder to get 10x less? Why do we waste our hard earned dollars on New York City shoe boxes when we can all just move to Oklahoma and build ourselves mansions? Why do we feel this innate need to be in the heart of the city where we can’t even have a square of sidewalk to ourselves?

My husband and I have been toying with the idea of leaving New York. It’s not a realistic plan at the moment, but we dream of having a house with a two car garage and maybe even a backyard. Hopefully we can make it happen soon, but getting that in New York means saying goodbye city and hello, long suburb commute! Life always comes with trade offs, so we’re prepared to move further out if it means owning property, but the little voice in my head still says, “Why?” Why not just move down to Florida, buy a big house with a pool, and use all the money we saved on flights back to New York whenever we need a city fix? My guess is that it boils down to the people and opportunity. As overpriced and crowded this city is, people keep showing up and opportunities are everywhere you look. New York City is where careers thrive and dreams are made, so maybe the question isn’t really, “Why do we do any of this?” but, “How could we not?”

Random Friday thoughts.

Photography: Laurel Creative

xx Esther