Winding Down the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

With Memorial Day winding down fast, I decided to mosey over to the pier this evening to reflect on this past holiday weekend intentionally.

When I arrived at the pier, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the beautiful cool breeze blowing from the Hudson, which felt very refreshing. On top of that, the view directly across the river was visually pleasing, and the sounds echoing from the atmosphere were so lovely to hear as I sat on a navy blue bench, sipping on a fresh cup of coffee.

Noticeably, there weren't too many people out on the pier, which was just fine with me; yet, oddly enough, there was a guy from my building out jogging, getting his cardio in. The second he saw me, he came to a sudden stop, walked over, and we chopped it up for a short while.

Then, towards the tail end of our conversation, he asked me to join him for an early evening run, and while I appreciated the offer, l politely declined. However, during our discussion, I mentioned that I would be running a couple of miles early tomorrow morning, so we agreed to link up at that time.

We finished by giving each other a high five and got on with it! Right after that, I went back to relaxing, letting my thoughts flow wherever they wanted to go—eventually thinking about and finalizing some things I want to do on my upcoming vacation.

After ironing out those details in my head, I opened the LinkedIn app, logged into my account, and started consuming some of your posts. It is always a delight to read authentic content, which I naturally gravitate to because of a great appreciation for original and creative posts.

Okay, I feel centered now; thus, mission accomplished, and time to head home and ease into the rest of the evening.

That concludes this weekend's posts, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all on Saturday at 11 am. Enjoy your evening, and have a terrific week ahead! 😊

#mindfulness #motivation

 

Bumped into two Tourist at the WTC

On my way home from Brooklyn yesterday evening, unsurprisingly, I got caught in the rain! Even though it was pouring down, it did not phase me one iota, and I continued on a spontaneous sightseeing excursion around the World Trade Center.

 

As I was strolling through and taking pictures, I bumped into two women who seemed a bit lost. I figured they were tourists because they kept walking in circles while looking at this enormous colorful map and chatting up a storm.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary, and I went on enjoying the scenery. Then, all at once, both started staring at me in a manner to get my attention, and eventually, the lady wearing the lavender purple Nike sneakers said, "Are you from around here?" Of course, I answered in the affirmative, and then they asked what's a good place to get a bite to eat.

 

Since I am pretty familiar with this area, a couple of places immediately came to mind, but first, I was curious to know where they were from before responding. And with a drum roll, please…each proudly stated they were from Portland, Oregon.

 

That led to a 15-minute conversation, and I discovered this was their first trip to NYC. As they keep talking, I could not help but notice that kid-like look of excitement on each of their faces, the kind that someone gets when visiting the Big Apple for the first time. Indeed, a magical moment that filled my heart with joy!

 

Before recommending a fun place to eat and some cool things to see nearby, I snapped a few pics of them posing together in front of a couple of iconic landmarks on their phones. Shortly after that, I said goodbye, and we all got on with our day.

Talk about a lovely way to cap off my Saturday! And of course, I used my time on the train ride home to journal about this delightful experience and decided to share a portion with you today, hoping that reading it will elicit a big Sunday smile. 😊

 

BTW, it stopped raining when I was speaking with my new friends from Portland. Lol!

 

Have a fabulous Memorial Day.

 

#nyc #tourism #motivation

 

The Oculus

I kick-started my holiday weekend by traveling over to Brooklyn this morning to participate in a family get-together. Knowing traffic would be crazy today, combined with the guaranteed difficulty of finding a parking spot where I was going, it made more sense to catch the train instead of driving to keep things simple.

Also, as a bonus, this meant that I would have the pleasure of walking through the gorgeous WTC Transporation Hub to transfer trains to get to Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

So when I entered the top-level entrance of the Oculus to make my way down to the ground level to hop on the 4-train, I was elated with what I immediately saw for two reasons. More specifically, the stark contrast of the number of people in the building since my last visit and the grandeur of this colossal room, so nicely decorated in tribute to Memorial Day.

As you might expect, I took time to marvel at the view along with the room's ambiance that featured a perfect blend of soft red, white, and blue lighting. Then, suddenly, I began to get goose pimples all over, and as I observed further, the moment took my breath away!

After soaking it all in, I felt inspired to write, so I eased over to an empty spot on the observation deck you see in this photo and began capturing my thoughts.

Note: For those who read my April post about my gelato stare-down experience, which happened in this same building, you will notice a big difference in foot traffic. You gotta love it! 😊

Well, LinkedIn fam, despite the rainy forecast in the Big Apple, my holiday is off to a fun start, and I trust yours is as well. Enjoy the long weekend spending time with family and friends. Let's go!

#nyc #motivation #mindfulness

 

Columbus Circle

 

A few minutes past six o'clock this morning, I was near the spot where Columbus Circle and Central Park South meet, walking with a friend and her dog enjoying the gorgeous weather.

We decided to stop and rest for a tad bit when we made it to the front of the park's main entrance. As we sat on a bench talking, the dog soon gave her the signal that nature was calling, and off they went so that the cute little pup could handle his business and run around some more.

While waiting for them to return, I started looking around and wondered if something would grab my attention and inspire me to write. As luck would have it, I began to zero in on the view that was right in front of me, and just like that, I felt a strong desire to enter into my creative writing zone.

Realizing this, I immediately began concentrating on the thoughts that popped into my head and started capturing them in my journal app for the next five minutes. Then, midway through typing a sentence, I heard a dog barking (woof-woof), causing me to look up, followed by shifting my eyes to the left and quickly to the right to make sure everything was all right!

Then, all of a sudden, the view illustrated in this picture piqued my curiosity, and my imagination began to run wild! I jotted down as many of my thoughts about this moment that I could before my friend got back. Fortunately, I captured most of what I was thinking about in those precious five minutes, which ended up being a little less than 1,300 characters.

Well, folks, I see my friend and her dog coming towards me now, so I will stop here and share what I wrote as my latest post, respectfully. I trust that this message of embracing the present moment and the value of documenting your thoughts will land with those who should read it.

I will conclude by saying that I appreciate our connection and engaging with you on this platform. I learn from you all. Thank you!

Have a lovely evening. 😊

#inspire #nyc

A Nice View

I woke up this morning just before 5 am feeling terrific and ready to win the new day! So, with an abundance of energy flowing throughout my body, I quickly threw on some workout gear, hopped on the elevator, and headed out for a brisk walk!

I found myself outside a few minutes later, listening to an R&B playlist in the shuffle mode on my smartphone, eventually whispering the lyrics to and grooving to one of my favorite Mary J. Blige songs.

As I was making my way to the street that runs parallel to the Hudson River, I turned onto a block that gave me a picturesque view of the Colgate Clock and Goldman Sachs Tower, standing side-by-side. As I got closer and closer to this popular spot, the sudden sight of the bright blue morning sky caught my eye, truly a sight to behold.

I stood in awe, admiring the lovely blend of the red, white, and blue imagery, which was breathtaking! Then, when my eyes landed on the flag flying on the top of the clock, I chuckled because it was such a fitting image to see, right before the upcoming Memorial Holiday weekend. I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of this moment, and as I thought about it further, without question, I was where I was supposed to be.

So, now inspired to write, I put my walk on hold, took a quick pic, and positioned myself right between the two landmarks. Then, I spent the next six minutes journaling my thoughts, which I've decided to share with you tonight. 😊

Share your thoughts and have a relaxing evening.

#inspire #nyc

 

Relaxing near the Brooklyn Bridge

With just a few days to go before the start of the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend, I made an impromptu visit over to the Brooklyn Bridge area this evening to unwind. Moreover, I used the time to admire the view, which I find calming, and finish a book I've been reading periodically for the past couple of weeks.

After completing the last chapter while sitting on a wooden bench located on Pier 17, adjacent to the ESPN NYC studios, it was now time to recap the book's key points in my journal. So, to allow my thoughts to flow better, I got comfortable in a yoga-like position, began to focus, and then started to write!

As I was typing, every so often, I could feel a misty breeze blowing from the river, gently landing on my body and cooling me off. Then, out of the blue, the sound of someone wearing a navy blue hat and sky blue mask walking towards me drew my attention, which was a woman slowly moving around the pier.

Instinctively, I said hello, and she reciprocated in kind before strolling right on by me. I remained relaxed on the bench for a bit longer when my stomach started to growl, letting me know it was time to get some grub. Before leaving, I took another good look at my favorite bridge, snapped a pic, and headed home to eat dinner.

Enjoy the present moment and your evening. 😊

#nyc #mindfulness

 

A Race to the Finish Line

I was chit-chatting with a friend while jogging this morning, sharing our plans for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Halfway through our jog, she challenged me to a race back to the meetup spot, which was now the ending place for our run.

Even though she is more of a runner than I am, I mean, she runs in every 5k race she can find in the city; whereas I run to stay in shape, my competitive juices kicked in, and it was on!

So we immediately picked up our pace, and with about 300-yards to go before we reached the finish line, I started huffing and puffing because I was running out of gas. Then, after slowing down a bit, I looked ahead and saw my friend was pulling away fast. Yikes!

With 200 yards to go, I got a sudden burst of energy and made a final push to beat her to the finish line. Although I was closing fast, I realized there wasn’t enough time to make up the gap, and I was going to have to listen to her brag on the train ride to Hoboken.

I thought it would be cool to take a pic of her on the home stretch to claim victory and then recap the moment in my journal to recall this fun experience more vividly.

Lastly, on the train ride to Hoboken, I jokingly asked her if she wanted to partake in a writing contest, and she quickly declined. LOL!

Enjoy your weekend. 😊

 

#nyc

 

Dipway Arch in Central Park

While in Central Park this evening, I took advantage of a chance to spend some time at the magnificent stone and brick Dipway Arch, one of my favorite places in the park. Upon arriving at this lamppost with the green and white Dipway Arch sign attached to it, I decided to go up the hill to secure a cozy spot on the grass, sat down, and began to ponder.

I am often flooded with creative thoughts whenever I am in this area, and knowing this, I deliberately use this spot to generate new ideas. When so doing, I love letting my imagination run wild while being one with nature.

Back to the here and now! Please feel free to pause for a minute and envision me sitting on the grass in a butterfly pose with my eyes closed, enjoying the smell of the flowers and listening to the lovely sounds of nature. Then, you watch as I drift into a meditative state, only to be awakened by the sound of footsteps beating on the ground, coming from a group of joggers passing through the tunnel.

I remained still for another 90 seconds, allowing my final thoughts to finish crystallizing, then I stood up and started walking home. Along the way, I recall thinking how grateful I was for this experience, especially since I walked away feeling centered—whoosah!

Have a relaxing evening. 😊

#mindfulness #nyc