But Yours Is Always Greenest

We are all so much more than where we live. 
by Andrew Nielson, Writer/Actor

I literally sparkled in the sun: a pale vampiric sapling amongst tan, statuesque models. No one was impressed by my friendly demeanor which usually helps me get my way in New York City, home of hustle, bustle, and ferocity. 

Los Angeles was the most amazing place that I had ever seen. I was certain that every day was a never ending party.

There I was on a Thursday at a coffee shop in an alleyway where 20 people had gathered after a cycling class. The sun was shining and music was shaking the cement beneath me. The tiny alley was overflowing, giving it the air of a lucrative, exclusive social event or a crazy club on a Saturday night. But it was not Saturday night. It was a sunny alley on a Thursday. 

In my head, I began spinning tales and future memoirs of my Bohemian life in L.A. At least, Bohemian was what I would call a group of people that apparently had no place better to be on a Thursday morning at 11am. And yet, this lifestyle was not entirely new to me. After all, I had been unemployed for months and spent my days alternating between coffee shops, cafes, and the occasional nap in my own sunny bedroom. 

Still, to me, these people were living the ultimate life. Vacation after vacation after vacation. Day after day after day. 

But then, I thought, this can't be so. I had to remind myself—these people had jobs and responsibilities too. They had rent to pay, bills piling up, children to feed, and a spat with a co-worker who was just plain obnoxious.

Some days they wake up sick.

Some days they are hungover.

Some days their boyfriends cheat.

Some days they cheat. 

They have the same experiences that I do, but on a sunny morning in Los Angeles, for one moment, they were completely, incandescently happy. They seek the comfort of the sun to forget their worries; I run into the breakneck streets of New York to lose myself.

The grass is always greener. But yours is always greenest. 

Happiness has no zip code. 

We are all so much more than where we live.

ANDREW NIELSON is a 20-something silver fox living and working in New York City. Actor, writer, self-producing maniac. His biggest claim to fame is Liza Minelli suggesting that he should "really lose some weight." He lives with his companion of 20 years: a stuffed cockerspaniel named Spanky. www.andrewnielson.com
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