I fell in love again

What makes a person fall in love?

I have lived in several places now, but nowhere captivates me like where I am now. Perhaps I've romanticized it before even coming to stay; perhaps it's all that has ever happened to me here. But here, I feel this pulse that makes me feel excited and that reminds me how much I like it here. Things feel more alive; there is more energy. Today, I fell in love with the Charles again.

I have to admit that I was excited about coming to stay in a new place, but when I arrived here, I wasn't exactly that happy. They have nothing to offer here that I didn't have. It was just a change of place to get to know more people. A few days later, I saw the Charles in the summer, glistening blue with green banks and I felt like I will learn to love this place so much. It is something that the Bay back in San Francisco never whispered to me, that the sea back in Singapore never sang to me, that the Hudson in NYC never told me; it sounds something like: this is a beautiful place where you are living. It felt close and personal. Like how a river should feel. (I do like the Central Park in New York, but it is not a waterbody so I won't name it.)

There is something about this river -- crossing it to get to Boston, to the Longwood Medical Area, rowing on it. Every contact with it smacks of life. And in the winter when it is frozen over, it feels like sleeping giant, a gentle totoro. Nevermind that it is all polluted.

I am not doing a very good job of telling you why the Charles is different. Maybe you'll feel it like I do the next time you cross it. Maybe you'll find your special river.

I just wanted to say that I fell in love with the Charles again today.