WHAT I VALUE

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            I value getting hope at a time when I had little.

·         I value getting a prized memory from my grandmother

·         I value that that prized memory became my life for a year

·         I value that I have learned the value of perseverance and having a goal

·         I value having a family that can tolerate such extreme passion

·         I value that not even the worst day in American history could stop me

·         I value having a purpose when most people didn’t

·         I value that I tried my hardest and didn’t give up

·         I value that I left because I was ready

·         I value that I said “I will” when so many said “You can’t,” and I was right

·         I value that by doing so, I have already done far more than most of the kids I grew up with

·         I value that I enjoyed having the buzz of being at the center of it all

·         I value that I was able to live on my own in the most expensive spot on Earth… and have a reasonably comfortable life

·         I value that I was completely self-sufficient

·         I value that I had my own place in Manhattan

·         I value that I lived in Manhattan the entire time when on my own

·         I value getting to live a childhood dream

·         I value its history

·         I value imagining myself as “Man Walking Through Times Square #36” when watching movies

·         I value the lessons about life I learned

·         I value its architecture

·         I value the hundreds of “only here” moments I had

·         I value being able to see celebrities, and be blasé about it

·         I value living through history

·         I value that in my own small way, I have left my mark there

·         I value what it’s meant to millions before me, and millions after

·         I value having Alex, Zach, Vanessa, and my Intrepid co-workers in my life

·         I value getting my masters degree

·         I value completing my master’s thesis

·         I value that I still like Rockefeller Center despite everything that happened

·         I value I stepped back from the abyss

·         I value all the good tours I had… even at Top of the Rock

·         I value how I may have inspired one girl to learn astronomy, even if the Enterprise bored me

·         I value I let people cross the Concorde off their bucket list

·         I value being able to see the entire world from a street corner

·         I value being able to block out a sea of distraction

·         I value being able to be seen as a local

·         I value showing visitors that we’re not all heartless

·         I value moving people to tears, laughter, curiosity and awe

·         I value that, in retrospect, I did use my skills down there after all

·         I value what I learned about myself, and what I need to be happy

·         I value that I have finally been confronted with a lot of my problems and finally begun to deal with them in a meaningful and permanent manner

·         I value the parting gift of a new challenge and a new life

·         I value that I alone decide what happens to my city in my life… and I want to take it back.

·         I value… that I will.