I would be lying if I said I was without my concerns about Jo's impending arrival. She too felt the familiar panic as the date of her JFK landing drew near. We know we are like sisters and we are both fiercely independent, but above all, we knew that her arrival would change everything for us.
After settling into my new life of solitude, the proposition of once again sharing my home was a perplexing one. As with all change in life, it is best to accept it at face value, not try to make it resemble your old life and open yourself up to the stunning possibilities. With that idea in mind, I honored my last evening alone by curling up on the couch with pizza and having a good lazy session.
Thursday evening she blew into town and brought with her a latent, nervous energy that fueled a manic two week bender. We started off with dinner and many drinks at Yuca Bar in the East Village, stumbling home to pass clean out. The next day we wandered the city. New York was the first dear friend of mine I had the pleasure of introducing her to. That evening I hosted an insane Koreatown Karaoke party and introduced her to the good, the bad and the ugly in my fair group.
The next week was a boozy, non-stop parade of introductions and late nights. She met my Gay Godfather for brunch, my neurotic Gossip Girl Kaitlin, had an epic dinner with my friend Nelson, several girls nights with Em and a disastrous night out in the Lower East Side. In between these activities, I continued meeting up with my various amigos individually.
I drank, I slept little and I still made it to the gym most days. I was filled with an energy that threatened to consume me if I stopped for even one moment.
By the second week, we were finding our footing. We began sleeping soundly, staying in a night or two and truly enjoying the new life forming around us.
My energy is dipping, (perhaps back to a more human level!) I am craving food over wine, and it has begun to just feel like life. Without changing a thing, simply inviting her into my world, it has enriched it for me. If it is possible, she allowed me to fall even more in love with my city, my friends, my life.
I feel it is honest to say that her presence has always made me sentimental, especially when it comes to D. This held true for the first few days, perhaps part of the reason I was running like my life depended on it was that I was afraid of some piece of me or my old life she might take me back to, but with my attention drawn back to all the people and adventures at my fingertips, the sentiment drifted away and was replaced with all the burning glory of things yet to come. As we slowed our pace and began to talk I found myself face to face with someone as brand new as I am. She is no longer stuck in the desert where we first met, she is free and ready to charge into the horizon with me. We are finally both free to live and dream and feel as we never where able to in our old world. She is no longer a reminder of the past, but a vibrant part of my journey into the future. Yes, my sister is here and I am seeing her for the first time as she was always meant to be.
She is thinking of coming here to stay, and walking along through the East Village, watching her and Emily laughing, I could barely stand to hope it. That much joy is to scary to even hope for. Could I actually have it all? I may not yet be completely settled into my new life with Kansas Jo, but I am having one hell of a ride.
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