She spent her afternoons in Green-wood Cemetery. For Pippa, it was the most peaceful place in all of Brooklyn. With nearly 500 acres to wander through, boredom was never possible. The cemetery was sacred— the one place she could recharge her weary body and sort through the noise. She needed this place. New York was busy and more difficult than she'd imagined. Was it worth it?

Was living in New York worth the stress of never knowing whether you’d make rent until it was due? Was it worth the exhaustion, the city grime, the visible depravity of the world each day? The seasons of depression, tiny bedrooms, the lonely commutes home? Was it worth it?

She’d close her eyes and wait for an answer. Experiences, faces, and words would burst into view. And if anyone walked past Pippa in that moment, they would see a woman with her eyes closed and a smile on her softened face. She heard the wind in trees and the birds singing.

“Yes” her bruised heart exclaimed! “Yes,” she whispered to herself as to not disturb the sacred space around her. She didn’t know for how long. Each time she made a promise to stay.