think about how you might have contributed to what you perceived as NYC's toxicity.

Dear David,

I wanted to make a couple of observation about yesterday’s text messages.

Going back to DC, to your family, Kaisha, Pam and leaving the LES for a while was a good idea. You needed to get away from NYC, put some distance to gain perspective on the events that you reviewed the last day I saw you.

I disagree with you that NYC is toxic for nascent creators like you. Visionaries struggle all the time getting others to understand and accept their ideas and that’s part of the fun of being a visionary. And it takes a strong self to manage rejection which is a big part of the life of a visionary. But the toxicity you described while reviewing your life in NYC was not about your ideas but about your behavior.

You had a passionate relationship with Joel, JJ and many others and you expected a lot from them. You told me several times that you have high expectations of those you love.

But what about your expectations of yourself with respect to the people you love?

You love JJ but when he asked you to leave, you stayed and played music outside his store. You disrespected him and respect is one face of love. When your health advisor didn’t come to visit you at the hospital, you felt abandoned (and rightly so) and you came back to the bar and blasted her. But you didn’t give her a chance to explain herself. I bet her explanations would have been lame, but if you love her, you could have listened and help her realize that as a health advisor she had some work to do.

You expect unconditional love from JJ, Joel and others but that’s not realistic or fair to anyone, including you.

I know ideas are important to you but so is love. You love passionately.Take some time to think about your relationships in NYC and think about how you might have contributed to what you perceived as NYC's toxicity.

Your heart is generous and your mind is gorgeous. Make something beautiful of your life.

With love and admiration...