Life lessons from the big apple
Having just spent a week in New York City I found that that there is no shortage of life lessons highlighted in the Big Apple.
Here are a few of my favourites.
In the midst of noise there is always a quiet center.
Central Park sits as a quiet refuge in the middle of a bustling city. There you will find 843 acres of walking paths, lakes, ponds and wide open spaces. A place for peaceful relaxation amid the birds and trees. An abundance of green in a concrete city.
You also have a quiet refuge at your core - a place of calm and restoration that you can access anytime, even when everything is swirling around you. The trick is knowing how to tap into it - perhaps through meditation or music or a quiet walk. Once you’ve figured out how to get to your own private central park, it’ll always be waiting for you.
People are only as invisible as you want them to be.
There are two kinds of people I encountered in NYC - those who looked at you and those who didn’t. Tourists and locals alike could be divided into those two groups. Some people could see the homeless man in the park who was as content with a smile as he was with some loose change. Some people acknowledged the doorman or the cop on the beat or the guy handing out leaflets. And some people didn’t have the time.
It’s easy for us to let other people become invisible. When life is hectic and we are wrapped up in our own to do lists, we tend to put our heads down and barrel through the day. At the end of the day though, we’re all looking for a little human contact. Take the time to see the people around you, smile, open a door, say thank you.
Be grateful for the things you take for granted.
I had the extreme privilege of spending a little time with the firefighters of Ladder Company 3. What a great bunch of guys! Thanks especially to Mike and Chris for taking the time to share their NYC stories. Did you know that a firefighter’s basic equipment weighs 110 pounds? Imagine wearing that in the sweltering summer heat while you battle a fire!
There are lots of things that we simply don’t think about. We just assume that they will be there when we need them. Things like clean water from the tap, lights on when we flip the switch, and brave men and women who risk their lives because its part of the job. Consider what you have been taking for granted and say a little prayer of thanks.
You know what they say about NYC - if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. It seems to me if you can get the life lessons there, they work anywhere.
