I'm going to make this quick for all you New Yorkers out there. In fact, that's the point of this post today. I just read an article in Time Out New York that talked about being an authentic NYer. One of the things that it talked about is that Ny moves at a very fast pace. In fact, it's manifested pretty clearly in how fast people move while walking. NYers always seem to have somewhere to go or something to do...RIGHT NOW! The article said their you're on the escalator and you're standing not walking, make sure you stand to the right and let people pass. Besides, don't you have somewhere to be? Why are you just standing there!?!?!
The article made me think: is this really true? Are we like sharks: in a constant state of motion? Not literally, of course, but do we move from one thing to the next thing to the next thing constantly? This is not to say that we don't have fun because I'm also referring to those of us who go from one recreational activity to another, like bar hopping. My question is, do we know how to relax? Do we know how to sit and do nothing in New York City...and I do mean IN NYC. I think we're skilled in going on vacation and laying on a beach or in a meadow or on an iceberg (don't think I forgot about you crazy people who miss winter). But do we know how to waste away an afternoon doing nothing without worrying about what the next item on our agenda is?
When I went to the spa I saw guys just laying around. No waiting for their massage time to come up. Just laying around. Not checking their blackberry (ok I mean iPhone or Android. No-one carries a BB anymore) to see if someone is looking for them. Just LAYING around! I was jealous of them. Some of them looked like retirees but some looked like regular working aged folk. As parents it's harder to accomplish this but wouldn't it be great to just not schedule ANYTHING for that day! Nothing. Slow it down to just doing NOTHING for as long as you pleased.
I had a conversation with a colleague and she mentioned that people who migrate to The Apple feel a pressure to experience it all. Her opinion was that when she had a non active day in the city, she felt that she was wasting time that could be spent going to a museum, or to brunch, or catching a burlesque show on floating table on an indoor lake (yeah, that exist! It's New York after all). If that's the case, then people will always be in a constant state of motion because you can never see it all in NYC. It's just impossible. The best you can hope for is to cover most of the times that are important to you and a smattering of things that are outside of your comfort zone. If you try to get to everything, you indeed will never be able to stop and smell the $5 street vendor roses!
The ironic thing is that even though I know this, I feel like I'm in perpetual motion myself! I, as I mentioned, know how to slow down when I'm away but this summer I vow to have some "nothing" days with my wife and daughter and maybe waste an entire day away on Governor's Island or something. Maybe...
These are my thoughts...what are yours?
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