G is for Greenwich

Ten years ago we moved from a small town in Ohio to NYC to become artists. We lived in Bushwick (bad idea) and on Wall Street (expensive idea) and Forest Hills (comfortable but not very convenient idea). I loved living in New York. It was part of my identity.

Then just a few months after we got Lily, Ryan got a new job in Greenwich, CT. He spent the next year doing what is commonly known as a "reverse commute." It's a nice way of people saying "Why would you live there and work there?" I was home alone with a baby in Queens with no car. He felt so far away. It would take him hours to drive home. We finally decided to move to Greenwich.

The night before we moved I could not stop crying.

We arrived in Greenwich, and I stopped crying after about an hour.

Here's the thing about Greenwich. It's really easy to bash. Yes, it's the preppy capital of the world. Yes, there is so much money that if viewed through a certain lens it can make you sick to your stomach. Yes, a lot of the people here are a little out of touch with reality. Yes, there can be a lot of pressure.

And I see all of those things.

And I ignore them.

And I kinda love it in Greenwich.

It's important to note here that we do NOT have a lot of money. Like, really not. Our situation has slowly improved over the past three years. (Probably because we live in an area that can afford our services- piano lessons and interior design.) But we will never be able to keep up with the Jones'. In fact, the Jones' have no idea who we are. We're much more likely to hang out with the Jones' nanny.

I just don't let it bother me. As simple as that. (Well, as simple as that after ten years of therapy.)

I let people compliment me on my clothes. And then I tell them proudly that I got them at Second Time Around. I am ecstatic to send my daughter to public school in (gasp!) about 18 months. She's zoned for a language magnet school for goodness sake. We're active at the YMCA, and she goes to an amazing preschool that also happens to be the most cost efficient. I am confident she'll learn her ABC's. In fact, she already has, and now she's working on the sign language for each letter. (Something the children of my friends know nothing about, despite going to the most expensive schools available.)

Greenwich has resources I've never seen in any other town. The beach is ridiculous. The library is ridiculous. The parks are ridiculous. The hospital is ridiculous. The schools are ridiculous. And all of those things are available to us as citizens of Greenwich. So thanks, people with money.

And when it comes to the Greenwich attitudes surrounding money, I know there are people who are concerned with how it will effect their children. And I get that. But you know what? I decide what my daughter's outlook on money will be. Not my neighbors.

We're going to the Bronx Zoo today. Because New York City is right down the road. So come visit us soon. Bring a bathing suit and a strong sense of self.