Monday morning, let the games begin.
6:10 AM - Wake up time. I've grown so used to this, I find myself popping out of bed a few minutes below my alarm even goes off.
6:15 - Already on my way down my treacherous 6-story NYC walk-up apartment. Is it worth it to live by myself in my mid-twenties? I'd say so - and the walk-up lets me skip squats at the gym.
6:45 - Meet a girlfriend down at a local coffee shop in the financial district of downtown Manhattan; sometimes catch the sunrise as we chat by the water.
7:00 - 7 on the dot hits and we go our separate ways. I hop back on my Citi Bike and cycle back uptown, of course stopping to take a Snapchat under the Brooklyn Bridge because the bridges are breathtaking on a beautiful morning such as this one.
Get home, mix my Vegan Spirulina protein into a cup of water, today it is chocolate flavored. Didn't feel like climbing my step stool to reach my Magic Bullet, so I opted to stir it by hand instead. Fairly repulsive.
I have an extra half hour to spare - I can head into the office a bit late as our morning Marketing Department meeting has been moved to late afternoon. I can't help but wonder if it's because the Directors are tired of seeing a group of 40 people battling a brutal hangover from their latest Sunday escapades at some overcrowded brunch spot in the city. I awkwardly maneuver the ottoman in my living room to the side, leaving myself just enough space to unroll my yoga mat and squeeze in 30 minutes of Pilates.
8:10 - Morning workout complete, time to hop in the shower and rush out the door to the office.
8:40 - 6 train was delayed again. Begin my workday filled with a variety of clients and tasks, hoping there will be time for coffee with a girlfriend who works around the corner.
7:30 - Workday (hopefully) done. Rush to my yoga studio around the corner from my apartment, 90-minute class today.
9:10 - Headed towards the 6 train back towards the East Village. Decide to stop last minute at my best friend's apartment on the way home - she lives just a few blocks away. We grab a few small plates and a few more glasses of red wine at this local Mediterranean spot, and then hurry back to our apartments. Tomorrow is a big day, and alarm is set once again for 6:10 AM.
Finally back in bed at 11:10 PM, but have a few emails to catch up on prior to my much anticipated sleep.
6:10 AM - Tuesday morning - Repeat.
This is the life of a (working) woman in New York. So, where exactly am I able to fit a (serious) boyfriend in here?
I recently spent the weekend with a guy - super sweet, quite witty, and adventurous to the max. I met up with him after a birthday party and far too many drinks, exploring the Lower East Side of Manhattan until the early hours of Sunday morning. We danced, we laughed, and we drank. The following morning, we woke up together just a few hours after finally calling it a night, shared a coffee, and laughed about the few hours prior and both agreed on what a lovely night it had been. Wanting to continue the fun, he & I proceeded to play drinking games once again. This was the start of our bad fun decisions for the day.
I originally had met him through my best friend, and when she & I caught up after my out of control weekend, she let me know that he was that guy. He never commits. I wasn't surprised by this at all - another reason why I liked this guy. He was full disclosure. We continued to chat back and forth on the details of the weekend, where we went out, who texted who first, etc. - and the conversation soon became a bit more serious as I heard the worry in her voice.
"I really hope he doesn't think he can have his cake AND eat it too with you," she said.
This got me to thinking - Why can't he have his cake and eat it too?
I'm happy in every aspect of life - friends, family, job, fitness, I love it all. I'm passionate about every single thing that I do, and I'm not ready to give up my "me" time, at least for the time being. Don't get me wrong - this guy is great, and I would definitely like to see him again, but in no way would I want him to stop living his life for the few times that our schedules would be able to link up each month.
Maybe, just maybe, things will spark for the both of us, but not right now. I'm single - I'm just having fun. In the meantime, I think I'll have my cake and eat it too.