Grand Central Terminal

I was relaxing in Byrant Park this early evening, intentionally taking in some fresh air while absorbing the electrifying energy of #NYC. After chilling out in the park for about 30 minutes, I stood up and started walking down 42nd Street towards Grand Central Terminal to jump on the train.

With only a block to go before making it to the Vanderbilt Avenue entrance of Grand Central Station, my eyes were hit with a sudden flash of light, making me squint and stop dead in my tracks all at the same time!

When I opened my eyes and my vision became clear again, I quickly realized that the reflection of the sunlight beaming from the windows on the tower right beside Grand Central was what made me stop and squint. I ended up standing in that spot for a couple of minutes because I was now captivated by the side view of this iconic building.

While I've seen Grand Central Terminal a million times, I've always paid attention to the front entrance view; thus, I've never taken the time to examine and appreciate its beauty from a side angle view until this evening. I am so glad I did!

For your viewing pleasure, reference slides 4 thru 6.

Immediately after those precious few minutes of standing in awe on 42nd Street were over, I decided to snap a handful of pics for my photo journal (click-click) so that I could better recall this moment.

I thought this was a fitting way to wrap up my latest evening stroll, just before making my way inside the terminal to hop on the train.

On the short train ride home, I suddenly felt an urge to look at the pictures I had just taken and then spent the next six minutes writing this post. Lol!

Indeed, mindfulness is something that I practice more and more each day, and when doing so, I am often amazed by the things I notice in the environment that I never paid attention to in the past.

And, of course, I am always grateful for these moments.

Until we meet again on Saturday at 11 am EST, have a relaxing evening a productive rest of your week. 😊

#inspire #mindfulness #motivation
 

Rockefeller Center

I was up bright and early on this gorgeous first Saturday in August, super excited to venture over to the Rockefeller Center area for a jog around Midtown Manhattan with a close friend of mine.

After taking a nice hot shower and then getting dressed, I opened the iMessage app on my iPhone to read any new text messages before heading outside. Unfortunately, there was a text from my jogging partner stating that she could not meet up this morning.

I immediately sent back a text to find out if she was okay, and once she replied that she was fine, I began contemplating if I still wanted to go to Rockefeller Center to run.

Well, of course, I am going! And, if you care to join me in spirit, I welcome you with open arms. If you have decided to come along, I bet you feel like you are now standing right beside me, and I just saw you smile. Let's go! 😊

So after making sure I had my MetroCard in my iPhone wallet, I grabbed my keys from the kitchen island and bolted to the subway to hop on the F-train.

Before I knew it, I was jogging up 48th St and approaching NBCUniversal Studios fast. While running, I happened to glance down for a second and noticed that both of my shoelaces somehow came untied. Are you kidding me?

Naturally, I slowed down, calmly moved to the right side of the sidewalk, and kneeled to tie my shoelaces.

Once I finished tying my sneakers and was in the process of standing up while looking straight down the block, the sudden sight of the red Rainbow Room sign and the sound of a woman singing out loud to her walking buddies in a jokingly manner grabbed my attention!

As you might expect me to do, I instinctively reached for my iPhone, opened my camera app, and snapped a few pics.

Then, without any hesitation, I politely introduced myself to the ladies and complimented the woman in the middle of the trio on her lovely singing voice. Everyone got a good laugh from this friendly exchange, then we all kept it moving.

This encounter activated my storytelling powers, so instead of jogging around Rockefeller Center, I chose to walk so that I could journal my thoughts and observations in real-time.

I then started walking towards the “Today Show” studio to see what was happening over there and maybe even get on TV. Lol! When I arrived, a production crew was setting up for a live shoot at Rockefeller Plaza.

I figured this would be a good time to stop and relax for a couple of minutes, so I made my way over to a seating area and sat next to some people chatting up a storm, shown in slide-8.

Shortly after that, I was walking past the FAO Schwarz store, and when I made eye contact with the guard, he began posing, so I just had to take a picture. Love it!

As I began wrapping up this impromptu sightseeing walking tour, I strolled across Rockefeller Plaza one last time; then, afterward, I resumed my jog—the end.

Have a fun weekend!

#nyc #mindfulness #motivation

 

Impromptu Visit to the Coffee Shop

 

Upon completing my workout this evening, I decided to go inside a café to grab a cup of joe and spend 20 minutes perusing through my LinkedIn feed. So after walking down a ramp only a block away from the gym, I entered the tower’s coffee shop and was soon standing at the front counter waiting patiently to place my order.

Seconds after ordering a hot cup of coffee, all of a sudden, I had a taste for some iced coffee instead, so I quickly changed my order, buying a tall glass with a splash of almond milk and a single packet of Splenda.

After getting my cold beverage, I slid off to the left side of the counter to let the person standing in line behind me order, then started looking around for a nice place to sit. When I spotted an open workstation towards the far end of the café, I went over to claim it before someone beat me to the punch!

On the short walk over, I spoke to a few of my friends, two of whom kindly invited me to join them for a 3-mile run alongside the Hudson. Since I just finished working out, I politely declined and told them that I would run with them tomorrow morning.

Once I got myself situated at the workstation and took a few sips of my coffee, I reached into my bag and pulled out my Microsoft Surface Pro so that I could log in to my LinkedIn account. Then, I began checking my news feed and reading a couple of your posts.

Those who follow me regularly on this platform know that random motivational thoughts, a sudden pleasant feeling I get inside, or something I see in my environment, any of which captures my imagination, often inspire me to write and take pictures.

So while reading an article, feeling energized from my recent workout, combined with the lovely ambiance of the room, you guessed it, I felt like writing!

Usually, I capture my thoughts into the journal app on my phone; however, I chose to embrace this moment and go with the flow since I was already working on my Surface Pro.

Now with the smooth sound of classical music playing in my ear and with nothing in particular that I wanted to write about, I slowly placed my fingers on the poppy red keyboard, knowing that the words to a story would magically appear in my head.

Then, in the blink of an eye, something I listened to by one of my favorite motivational speakers over the weekend flashed in my mind, and I began summarizing the message in terms of what it meant to me for future reference.

I was all done typing ten minutes later and proceeded to put my computer back in my backpack and headed for the exit. On the walk to the parking garage to pick up my car, I opened the journal app on my phone and began recapping this latest experience.

By the time I made it to my SUV, I had finished capturing my thoughts, and after reading what I just wrote, I thought it would be cool to post—the end.

I hope you enjoyed our Thursday evening coffee break together, which turned in this lighthearted and spontaneous post.

Have a relaxing evening. 😊

#mindfulness #inspire

SoHo and Greenwich Village

While listening to one of my favorite jazz songs strolling through SoHo on my way to Greenwich Village, I landed at the corner of West Broadway and Spring Street and had to stop to wait for the traffic light to change.

As I was standing at the crosswalk next to a lady dressed in all beige, a conversation I had with a close friend on Sunday evening popped into my head. This thought was most likely triggered by me walking in her old neighborhood. To add, it was the kind of thought-provoking discussion that left me with a lot to ponder, as well as inspired in the ensuing days.

With that in mind, I figured right now was a good time to give that conversation some extra thought while traveling up to the West Village.

So with a slight chill in the air, which felt like a lovely autumn breeze blowing on my body, I deliberately took my sweet time walking to my desired destination; thus, allowing myself plenty of time for my thoughts to crystallize on a topic that's near and dear to my heart.

Moreover, I've come to realize that I do some of my best thinking when traveling around the city on foot, especially when a subject or idea randomly appears in my mind. I bet some of you can relate.

As I eased up Broadway, mentally processing the words, the meaning of the message, and the life lesson that magically started appearing in my head, I became super eager to find a spot to sit down so that I could begin capturing my thoughts; before they disappeared!

I eventually settled on a coffee shop with an outside seating area in the middle of a block. Once seated, I ordered a fresh cup of coffee with cream, no sugar and sat there unloading my thoughts into my journal app for the next 15 minutes.

After that, I took a few moments to observe the scenery while allowing myself to fully unwind for the day and finished drinking my coffee before getting up and heading home.

After a hectic day, it was so nice to get out of my home office, get some fresh air and embrace being fully present. Living in the hustle and bustle of the city, I sometimes have to remind myself to make time to slow down and be still.

Well, friends, this is what was on my heart this evening, which I felt inclined to share with you.

I wish you a relaxing evening. 😊

#nyc #mindfulness #motivation

After spending an hour in the Flatiron District, I eventually made it back to Union Square to get my shopping done. When I arrived at the Union Square subway station entrance, I instantly had a great view of the building with the giant Metronome on the front of it. This 62-foot-wide 15-digit electronic clock is one of the city's most intriguing public pieces of art as far as I am concerned.

No matter how many times I am near this clock, I always find myself stopping for a minute to check it out. And on this day, I decided to do a quick Microsoft Bing search to get some updated info on the clock, which I found fascinating.

Upon consuming this new information, I started walking up 6th Ave with the famed #Marriott Union Square hotel in my direct view on the way to the Greenmarket. Note: When you are in this area, you must pay close attention while crossing the street because there's usually heavy bicycle traffic and folks riding electric scooters everywhere.

Finally, I made it inside Union Square Park, where the Greenmarket was taking place, and quickly began shopping and conversating with several local vendors.

Without a doubt, I enjoyed speaking with many of the passionate entrepreneurs and their team members. I admire their enthusiastic selling styles and the unique stories several shared during our dealings.

Then, while walking around picking up stuff I needed and a few things that I probably did not need, suddenly, I felt the urge to stop and move off to the side to appreciate this moment. When doing so, I became fully present and drifted in a state of flow.

I stood there listening intently to the sound of the footsteps of the people walking by, gently tapping on the ground, along with lively chatter and looks of blissfulness on their faces as they passed right by me.

On top of that, I could even smell the lovely scent of the flowers nearby, mixed in with a beautiful aroma coming from the street vendors as they cooked their delicious food and served customers.

As you might expect, all of this made me hungry, so I eased over to a hot dog stand, purchased a frank with sauerkraut and spicy mustard, then proceeded to sit down at a table in the middle street underneath a blue umbrella.

It just so happen that where I was sitting was near one of the Lego Group #NYC makeshift playing stations. Indeed, it was cool to sit back and watch parents take pictures of their children, laugh, and have such a fun time.

With my tummy now full, it was time to head back home. On the stroll over to the train station, I came upon a thought-provoking sign that made me pause and process its message. If you are curious, take a look at the below pic—food for thought.

Well, friends, that concludes this weekend's posts. I trust you enjoyed our time together in Union Square Park and the Flatiron District. The pleasure was all mine.

Until next time, have a relaxing Sunday and a fantastic week ahead. Let's go!

#mindfulness #motivation #inspire