 | Kimberly Howard  2010New York, NY Kim moved to New York in 2006 from Indiana, a move that she likens to moving to another planet. She has been doing family research at Columbia University since then, but has recently begun a faculty position in Psychology at Marymount Manhattan College. When not being a wonk, she enjoys spending quality time with her beloved cat, Marmelade, hosting tea parties, tending her Harlem garden, and running in Central Park. She fully believes that marathoning is a metaphor for life. |
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RSSI have the feeling that I’m starting a new life. It’s not just that Gotham is new and will take up much of my time for the next nine months. I’m also just beginning a new job and a new relationship. This new life, with its new players and new routines is taking some getting used to. In many ways, I feel like I’ve been given a fresh start, and it feels exhilarating to have this opportunity. Already, I feel things shifting. Old habits are being broken. Newer, better ones are being formed. They say it takes 21 days to develop a habit. That means that within a few weeks, the practice of having daily devotional time will likely be integrated into my routine – after a painfully long hiatus. If after 21 days, it’s a habit, I can only imagine that after nine months it will be thoroughly ingrained as a part of my life. At the same time, I’m still who I am. Since moving to New York, I’ve noticed the ways that the city rubs off on me. I’m more cynical and jaded. I’m less hopeful. There’s a part of me that wants to be cautious about making grand projections about where I’ll be in nine months. What if this process raises more questions than answers about the course of my career and my tenure in New York City? What if I still routinely spend Friday evenings at home with my cat, still longing for the type of community I had hoped to find here? What if my shortcomings get in the way of something great that may be supposed to happen? What if I’m pinning too much on Gotham? And yet I know that I’m supposed to believe that hope does not disappoint, because God has poured his love into my heart – and I feel that I’ve been given the grace to actually believe it. When I think about the unique experience that Gotham will be, I realize that having high expectations for what this will do to my life is the only realistic option. While many things remain uncertain, I choose to believe that God will use these months to provide healing, restoration, and growth. With all the newness of this season, I know that whatever else happens during these nine months, that He will be with me, preparing me for whatever lies ahead. |