New York City, 27/12/18

When life sweeps you off your feet, have you ever felt like just letting go and flowing away with it?

That was exactly how I felt walking down these streets, with buildings rising high up to the sky, giant billboards lighting up every corner of Midtown Manhattan, and hundreds of cars disappearing into blurry lines. A concrete jungle, indeed.

I didn't know exactly how I got here, but somehow I did, and I'm glad I did.

People were pouring into the heart of the city from all directions. Businessmen in suits and ties, college students in preppy clothes, some in ragged clothes sitting on the side of the road... People of all backgrounds walking the very same streets.

The scent of freshly baked bagels and roasted coffee beans from a nearby bakery floated around in the air. Somewhere still lurked the odd, foul smell of sewage. White steam escaped from big white and orange tubes into the sky like giant clouds.

They say it's the city of dreams, where anything is possible, even the most insane.

I felt an unfamiliar feeling surging in my veins, something brand new. I looked up to the clear sky and took in a lungful of the thin, frosty air around me.

And I thought to myself, "Here I am, in the place that I once thought only existed in my fantasies."

Who'd have known a place across the planet from home could feel more at home than ever? Maybe, deep down, I had always been seeking this grounded feeling.

I was walking the dream, living the dream. What more could one possibly want?

They say reality is terrifying – an invisible cage waiting to lock you up.

I was scared, that the door would close on me again, telling me to wake up.

Dreams, love, hope...

Everything turned into a maze in my mind, leading me nowhere in particular. But maybe, just maybe, it was a good thing – a reminder to start believing a little more.

I walked with my head up, as high as the skyscrapers, with lights reflected in my eyes.

"Here I come."

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In honour of all frontline workers and those who've passed in this pandemic. My thoughts and prayers are with you.