It’s marathon Sunday in New York today. I’ve been thinking about all weekend. The church that I attended in Brooklyn is along the course. So on race day, people would arrive early to drink coffee and cheer on the runners before heading into service. The city radiates unity every year on this day. And it extends beyond the race - runners wear their medals in restaurants and on the subway. People say congratulations and smile. And when the weather is nice, it doubles down on the energy the city carries.

This morning, I received a text from a friend who doesn’t normally go to church, let alone, the church I went to in Brooklyn. She’d come with me a few times when I lived there. She went today and sent me a video from the church steps of everyone cheering on the runners and chatting. She had no idea that i’d been yearning to be there today, on those steps outside the school building my former church meets in on Sundays. It was such a gift.

It’s a bit overwhelming to live in New York. I read that 1 in every 38 people in America live in New York City. It’s referred to as America’s City for that reason. And because people walk and talk the subway, you are rarely alone. Living there, I learned not to be precious about shoes or clothes because things just get worn down. One day, my friend Bekah and I walked from the very top of Manhattan all the way to the bottom of the island, in Battery Park. With all the twists and turns we made, it added up to a marathon distance. Early on in the pandemic, I would walk half marathons during the day, just to pass the time. I wore out tennis shoes and boots from all the miles. I’d cross a bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan and just walk -sometimes with a destination, sometimes without. Now that I live in Atlanta, there are streets that I will never walk up or down because it wouldn’t be safe. There aren’t sidewalks everywhere because it’s a driving city. Streets are worn down from cars, not people. And don’t get my wrong, the streets in New York aren’t glamorous and are also worn from cars, buses, and cabs. But this morning, I found myself thinking about all the feet that have walked (or run) up and down those unpredictable New York streets. 🍎