A letter to San Francisco
(view from my window)
Dear San Francisco,
I love you. I hate you. I am sad to leave you. I can’t even believe that it’s been 7 years that I have been here. I came in 2005 thinking it would be “the year I live in San Francisco”. 7 years later I am still here. loving you. hating you.
I have grown up here. Made a family of friends here. Had countless holidays, birthdays (OK, 7 to be exact:), joys, defeats, epiphanies within your 7×7 boundaries. I have found my love of yoga here that has changed my life, my awareness.
And now I leave you. For how long, it is yet to be determined. I am feeling stuck within your boundaries lately. Probably just stuck in my ways and in my mind. But I have always been someone who likes change and I haven’t had one in 7 years.
I have made 2 albums here, I have performed out, I have written so many songs, I have walked your streets, entered your bars, heard your music, loved your inhabitants, befriended your friends and somehow I have made the decision to leave. As the time nears, (2 weeks to be exact) I feel more tied to you than ever before. More sad than anything to leave. So it goes.
I have not lived in all of your neighborhoods, not explored all there is to explore, and for that I am sorry. For that I am sad. I am sure you have more to offer me, and yet in my feeling of stuckness I took you for granted. So it goes.
I love your spirit of independence, your artistic support, your beauty. I will not miss your cold summers, your lack of taxi cabs, but I’m sure I will miss your “neverland” characteristics that I complain about while I live here.
I don’t know what New York holds for me. Change for sure. Inspiration I hope. Family, I am happy yet scared to be so close to. Perhaps I will always bounce between my two cities. But I leave you now knowing for sure I leave my heart with you.
Thank you for 7 great years of my life,
See you soon,
Dana
Dana, I will miss you.
I couldn’t agree with you more… there is much to love about San Francisco as well as hate. It’s a beautiful city filled with history and scenic sites. People of all types and bents from all parts of the USA and the World. The diversity makes life in SF interesting but also challenging at times. There have been lots of changes in SF since I was a youth – both in neighborhood diversity and city politics. The City was more family oriented when I was a kid and much less so today (which makes me sick). But, I digress.
They say when one door closes another door opens. That is how it has been for me hear in Sacramento. I hate it hear but love it hear as well because what I have learned about myself and who I am today vs five years ago. I left someone and the City I love behind, but made a lot of new friends along the way. The journey was not without pain but the personal growth has helped me in untold ways.
Stay positive and keep and open mind in all that you do. Keep doing what you love to do – writing, singing and playing music. A new door will open for you too. You are a lucky girl, now with both an East Coast family and a West Coast family who love you.
All the Best,
Gaetano