Looking out my bedroom window in an attempt to freeze myself to sleep, I was hit by a very sudden rush of wowness (legit word) Its like the first time you realise that you are in love with something or someone, and it hits you at warp speed, you feel you cannot breathe until you get the love statement out of your mouth.
It was night time, and the distant lights were twinkling away in the dark at me. It gave me goose pimples (and not just because the window was open) I feel so much adoration for the ultimate city that never sleeps, like mothers experience when they see their newborns for the first time. I love how it is a city of huge contrasts, from the filthy rich in their mansions in Notting Hill, to the dirt poor in their high rises in Peckham, from the beautiful,tree lined suburban, environmental havens, to the polluted, graffiti and litter lined avenues, privileged people falling out of clubs and casinos in Knightsbridge, to the homeless lying under a blanket at an ATM just down the road. From posh Wimbledon where it's almost essential to fit in, to Camden, where literally, anything goes. Its a paradox in itself, its a city where not just two, but too many worlds have collided and it has created this sprawling metropolis where me and 13 million other people call home.
It's the city that I love, where I feel I truly belong. To misquote Mr Sinatra Senior, If I can make anywhere, I can make it here. And I fully believe that. No matter who you are, where you come from, what your belief system may be, you will find a little corner for yourself in London. True, the City can leave you chewed up and spat out, but it can also embrace you and make you feel part of a community. If you rebel against London, what it stands for, who it is, the vast crowds going here there and everywhere all day long, the traffic, the noise, the craziness, then I think this is when problems start. If you accept that, and jump in feet first to the ensuing bedlam, then I think you will be just fine.
I'm not that naive to think that the City doesn't have its problems. Of course it does. Crime against people and property is rampant. There is corruption, there is abject poverty, there is obscene disregard for life, there is pollution. But in order to survive here, you have to overlook those things and see the good in London. Wander down a street on Saturday morning, and you will no doubt stumble upon a street market, with Cockney's crowing at you to sample their goods. You may be hungover, clutching your water and life saving tea like its keeping your blood flowing, but it will always put a smile on your face. You go to a park on a sunny day, and you will be tripping over yourself and your maxi skirt with mini festivals and random music events. You can turn the corner and find the love of your life. You go down Oxford Street at Christmas, and I defy you not to turn into a child in awe of all the lights, festiveness and decorations. Being driven down there one Christmas, I had my nose pressed up to the window for the entire journey like a dog itching to get out of the car.
It's a city where in one single Tube journey, you can fall in love and have your heart broken. Its a city, where at any one time, people are dying, being born, getting married, splitting up, having a rough day, having the best day of their lives, meeting strangers who will become life long friends, meeting strangers you hope to see again, but possibly never will. Its a city full of promises and of hope and I feel that every time I step out onto the street.
London, to me, is a piece of fabric. Each person, immigrant, born here, moved here from a different part of the UK is a little piece of string that adds to the tapestry of City life. It smells exotic and spicy and like home cooking all at once. It feels lush in parts, like a luxurious silk, but some corners feel like mohair, itching away at your skin. It has different colours, but somehow it all works together. There 's hatred, but there's also a whole lot of love around, if you just know where to look.
And I'm hopelessly in love.
