Saturday, August 11, 2012

How I spent my day; NYC's best sprinkler wash


After waking up from a nap after work I was faced with an odd segment of the day. Too early to go to bed, yet with nothing on my agenda I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. As it so happened my phone was dying and only minutes before my decision had I plugged it in to charge. Instead of taking what would inevitably soon become dead weight I left it plugged to the wall and set out on my way.

By the time I reached about 20 minutes from my apartment or so it dawned upon me that I was completely disconnected from the world aside from what my senses could identify. Not only was I without text, email, and the seldom used phone feature, but I was without camera, internet, and maps. More importantly, I was without a clock.

So I walked. And listened to music. And thought.

In the process I had an evening of greatness without doing anything out of the ordinary. I took my time and walked up and down the spots of some of the graffiti in the neighborhood, checking out the new work and tasting some favourites as though for the first time.

As I approached a familiar corner, I decided to turn off my path to soak in a pair of black and white eyes that were just around the way. Continuing on past the mural I stumbled upon a city sprinkler, courtesy of the FDNY of course. Just past it and kitty corner across the street was a block party of sorts. Neighbors, family and friends gathered to eat some bbq and picnic food. Cars would slowly roll by to get their free car wash. People were everywhere.

It was New York City.

I had no camera, nor journal, computer, or any other way to preserve the moment other than a pen and a pocket notebook. So I sat down on the sidewalk, behind the hydrant and facing the fiesta, and drew.


That's how I spent my afternoon. I was doing nothing but living in the moment of where my feet and heart took me. I spent two hours sitting on the sidewalk and it was one of my favourite moments in a while...


2 comments:

  1. A great lesson in living in the moment - love it!!!!

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  2. Aww...love this post!!! Miss you and can't wait till we get a chance to share similar amazing moments like these soon =)

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