Err Plains

I'm the first to admit the adjustment to New York is more complicated than I thought it would be.

The pace is quicker, the streets are busier and the hours longer. I guess the same could be said of any city outside of the Midwest, except for maybe Chicago. But who cares about Chicago?

The real difference, in my opinion, are the higher highs and lower lows.

Amy Haimerl, a good friend and former New Yorker, warned about the extreme swings that come with living and working in The City.

"I cried every night for the first six months I lived there," she told me over one of our many root-beer-float breaks at Mootown Creamery in Detroit's Eastern Market. "I was miserable."

Not exactly the pep talk I was looking for two weeks out from the move. But then again, Amy has a way of cutting through the bullshit and getting to the core of an issue.

When I had to write a proposal to land my new job, I sent her a draft and asked her to give it an edit. I knew she would be thorough, if not brutal.

It came back a sea of red.

But I needed that. I thrive on tough love, just ask my old man.

So when she told me this city left her in tears, I was pretty shocked.

But, for all the stress and pressure and struggle, she also talked about the rewards of taking on such a monumental change.

She talked about the incredible energy of the city and how it will leave an everlasting imprint on my life, both personally and professionally. She talked about how I'll find a groove, adjust and adapt ... and with a little wherewithal, I would persevere.

All I have to do is keep an even keel, make plains out of mountains and valleys.

But if you've ever met me, then you probably know that might not be quite so easy.

I run on hot. I can't help it, runs in my family. It's how I get shit done. It's how I ended up here. It's also why I can't sleep at night.

But those same traits have given me an amazing network of friends from all walks of life.

I've always leaned heavily on friends and family to bring me back to the center; to help make mole hills out of mountains. 

And there's no better support network than mine.

In fact, I haven't even cried myself to sleep.

There's no time for that.

Special thanks to Shawn Wright; a good guy and an even better editor.