"Know the sweet homage given to beauty, youth, and grace..." ~ Jane Eyre

Cafe Angelique sits on the northwest corner where Grove and Bleecker intersect. I sit in a chair with a rusted metal back, the one you see in the photo, by the counter where an entire display of mini cheesecakes, petite fruit tarts, and small chocolate mousse cakes are just out of my reach because its only eleven o'clock in the morning. This place is a French-style cafe with photos of Venice on each wall and ran by Israelis. Hence, I say "to-da" to the woman instead of the English thank you when she brings me a homemade croissant with damson jam and an iced cappuccino with a perfect foam amidst the ice.

This place is as eclectic as the city it lives in, and as if I were in a movie with obvious symbolism, Billy Joel's New York State of Mind begins to play. I smile and enjoy one of life's perfect moments of sweet irony.

In less than two weeks I will be commuting to the city as an assistant on the trading floor of the Foreign Exchange of a prominent and stable investment bank on Wall Street where I will be utilized for my critical thinking skills, writing skills, and people skills. I sit in the cafe after my processing that occurred in the morning, ordering with ease and comfort since my salary is starting at more than I was making as a teacher when I left after seven years. I am excited for this new chapter in my life, for I get to still do what I love to do all day: read, write, and problem solve. I spent my twenties doing for others, and now its time to do for myself. I am finally doing some investing of my own in my well being and my future, and although I joke that I have gone from Sesame Street to Wall Street, I am really proud of the transition and change. I am even contemplating an M.B.A. since the company will pay for it.

So today I officially resign from the education field, ready to relish in the sweetness of my new career and new adventures. Forget life being like a box of chocolate - right now it feels like an entire case of sweet pastries...