by, FashionMista 
This morning after dashing into work, I got this group email from an NYC Incubator member who sent it late the night before. It was too good not to share:
"I just
got home and I don't know why I'm emailing everyone but for some reason I feel
like I have this great group of girlfriends at this never ending sleep over and
no one says the last peep! Anyways, I went to a launch party for a pub my sister
writes for/networking event of sorts, and I met THE most interesting woman. Her
name was Shirley Smith, she is 77, and she is a born again writer. She came to
NYC at 22 from Kansas to 'find her passion and follow her dream', which led her
to be the first ever Maidenform Model (who doesn't know Maidenform Bras). Then
she worked with Tennessee Williams and Robert Redford and Paul Newman on
Broadway, was in a few movies, even an Alfred Hitchcock piece. Then she got
married to 'an Italian from Brooklyn who was crazy but fun' and painted the best
picture of those funny years. She is now an accomplished painter, in the Whitney
Museum, and is working on her first novel.
What an inspiration, I wish you all
were there. Mick ( my boyfriend - though he says that sounds 8th grade and
prefers partner, which I think make him sound like my girlfriend, but I
digress-) and I walked Shirley home and we had the best chat. We got to
know Shirley even more, and she started telling us her advice for living here.
She assessed our ages (28 and 32) and then replied that anyone no matter
what age should know that life is all about following your passion, and if you
don't, you'll never be happy. Yes, we all say duh, but look around. We all have
friends who want to take a risk, follow their passion, make their 'why not me' a
reality. We have all taken the step and started making that happen. Seeing
Shirley, this woman who went after life full throttle, and has followed her
passion, worked hard and persevered.....it was such an inspiration! And she's
doing just fine, happy, and may I add, SINGLE! What a treat, it's as if someone
knew I needed to meet an amazing woman to keep me ticking, and just like
that....it happened."
The group couldn't have agreed more. Shirley's story was so inspiring, as I've lived here for 5 years, but every minute of it I feel that I need to take advantage of my location and any hair brained ideas I may get. When I first moved to New York City, which was supposed to happen on 9/11 minutes before it became 9/11, people asked me: "How long are you going to live there?" All I could answer was: "I don't know. I'll evaluate after 5 years." Five years sprang up on me, and I'm really itching. I guess that's why I jumped and joined the Incubator. Now I feel like I'm on a speeding (faster than moving) sidewalk toward more answers...
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