In NYC moving is a pretty big deal. I just went to an open house this Sunday morning. The biggest stress for me, in addition to the packing, financing, and the saying of good byes to all the people I’ve known in the neighborhood I’m moving out of –where I’ve lived for three years now—is actually finding a suitable place (downtown) to live. 

That’s the goal. That’s my dream. 

         Ten years ago it was after finding the availability on Craig’s List that I walked into that sun-drenched room of my previous apartment in Tudor City, and I felt whole. I really thought I had found a location for life, or for some very long period…and I had. I lived there for seven years. I paid my dues then. Now, I want that feeling again. Today I’m a bit savvier about moving and living. A working air conditioner and heat, a clean toilet, plenty of closet space, untouched glass panes in my window, so as not to get charged for pre-broken windows when I eventually move out, these are all things I’ll need to pay attention to next time I move. It’s all about learning things from the past, so one can carry those lessons going forward. This time, I’ll call a moving company and, hopefully, they’ll do the rest. I just want that feeling of pride and wonder in my living space, again. 

         But as I wait until I meet with my broker for the first time next week, I think I’ll busy myself by going to a fun holiday movie. Mary Poppins Returns. A fellow comic and friend just posted his own very positive review on Facebook, so now I’m eager to see it too! After all, I knew I’d be dying to see that movie, so it was just a matter of time… And now I’ll be able to converse with all of my friends’ and family’s small children about this very movie, aimed just at them! I’ll be the #1 auntie…and I CAN’T WAIT.

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         I just got back from “Mary Poppins Returns” and I LOVED IT.  One thing I learned was that Mary Poppins exists to remind us that anything is possible, at any age. Whether Mary Poppins is there to magically tidy a child’s bedroom by repeating “spit spot,” or to turn back time by flying through an evening sky in order to reset Big Ben, her legend reminds people to regain the childhood whimsy that they had lost in adulthood.

         And now I’ve looked at several reviews of this film and I see a theme. Each critic remarks how this newer, updated version falls flat in comparison to the original Julie Andrews’ one. And to this, I say, THAT’S OK. Sure, the score in this new “Mary Poppins Returns” version has nowhere near the ingenuity, or the catchiness, of the original, but the original would be impossible to surpass, or to even replicate! Being so novel and enticing when it was originally created in 1964, the original Mary Poppins would be impossible to outdo over 50 years later! The two films should be thought of independently. They should only be measured against films of their respective genres, of the same eras! 

         Personally, what’s most important to me is the feeling I’m left with. I know the feeling I’ll have when I see the perfect apartment and that’ll be similar to the feeling I had when I left the theater tonight. Satisfaction and fulfillment.

         I’m looking forward to those good feelings in 2019.