Recently I took a 5-day trip to California. The cool thing about it was that I wasn't there for work, I wasn't there for any other reason but to be. Being typically is a difficult concept to grasp given the fact that our lives keep us moving constantly. Such movement can cause us to lose sight of the small things that make life happen. The short period of time in California showed me a glimpse of a world that I was letting pass by.
The majority of my stay was in Arcadia which is about 45 minutes NE of downtown Las Angeles. On this trip I packed my Nikon D7000 to capture some aspects of the trip but I only took 100 pictures the entire time. The third day I walked from the apartment where I was staying and headed west on Colorado BLVD towards the Santa Anita Westfield Mall.
This walk is what sparked this post.
As a people we have a tendency to be in a hurry. Too quick that we brush past others with a simple head nod, the occasional "how are you" and the impersonal "good how are you" in response, if that. I sat down at the Santa Anita park by the peacock water fountain and watched people. They were playing in the park, talking to one another, and the occasional person would sit across from me in the shade. My intention was to read but I got a kick out of just watching and wondering about their lives, what brought them and their families to California, if they were driving where to? Reading did not happen that afternoon because I had the urge to explore.
I headed west on Huntington.
Headphones on it felt as if the beat of the music reflected the tone of this adventure. I did not know where I was going, this was unfamiliar territory. The big city felt like a small neighborhood with familiar yet distant vibes. I told myself I was looking for a local bar to watch a game and cool down from the heat but the ones I passed didn't look appealing. I took my iPhone out and went to Google Maps and did a simple search and a bar called "London Gastropub" caught my eye. I always wanted to go to London, and I wound up in Monrovia.
Still not knowing how long I had been walking I was more concerned with seeing for the first time, I felt like I was missing out on this untapped marvel of walking and the mysteries it unlocked. Ironically I ran into a company building in which my fraternity brother worked. I had sent him a photo of another building the day prior thinking it was his but it was one of five, he worked at the other location the opposite direction, this time I may have been at the right spot. I turned the corner on South Myrtle Avenue and saw someone that I recognized. To my surprise it was my fraternity brother. I had walked at least 45 minutes unknowing to me that he worked at the location in which I just took a picture of and sent to him. We exchanged words, he himself surprised, told him I was headed to London and he pointed up the street and said he'd pick me up after his shift was over.
Old Town Monrovia resembles a quiet business district where locals patron shops and know each other by first name. London Gastropub sits with a red door out front, British flag proudly displayed and black trimmings that compliment the brick walls. Sitting at the bar there was a group of Brits watching the soccer game yelling and cheering. I figured London was like this. I describe that experience for one reason and one reason only: if we continue to be in a hurry, we will never unveil the secrets and pleasures of the small things.
Walking unlocked a pathway. I could have stayed at the fountain that afternoon and waited to drive elsewhere. I could have stopped at the first bar in Arcadia because it was convenient. I could have hungout all day in the apartment while life was going on outside. There is nothing wrong with any of those choices. I am simply suggesting that there is more out there than we think.
A few takeaways that I myself have started to do and am hopeful that by reading this you yourself can find noteworthy:
There is power in walking that as someone who calls themselves human can really find beauty in. Go outside right now, put your cellphone away, go in a direction you have never checked out and let the sounds of what could be move you to experience life for the first time. You may even surprise yourself.
The majority of my stay was in Arcadia which is about 45 minutes NE of downtown Las Angeles. On this trip I packed my Nikon D7000 to capture some aspects of the trip but I only took 100 pictures the entire time. The third day I walked from the apartment where I was staying and headed west on Colorado BLVD towards the Santa Anita Westfield Mall.
This walk is what sparked this post.
As a people we have a tendency to be in a hurry. Too quick that we brush past others with a simple head nod, the occasional "how are you" and the impersonal "good how are you" in response, if that. I sat down at the Santa Anita park by the peacock water fountain and watched people. They were playing in the park, talking to one another, and the occasional person would sit across from me in the shade. My intention was to read but I got a kick out of just watching and wondering about their lives, what brought them and their families to California, if they were driving where to? Reading did not happen that afternoon because I had the urge to explore.
I headed west on Huntington.
Headphones on it felt as if the beat of the music reflected the tone of this adventure. I did not know where I was going, this was unfamiliar territory. The big city felt like a small neighborhood with familiar yet distant vibes. I told myself I was looking for a local bar to watch a game and cool down from the heat but the ones I passed didn't look appealing. I took my iPhone out and went to Google Maps and did a simple search and a bar called "London Gastropub" caught my eye. I always wanted to go to London, and I wound up in Monrovia.
Still not knowing how long I had been walking I was more concerned with seeing for the first time, I felt like I was missing out on this untapped marvel of walking and the mysteries it unlocked. Ironically I ran into a company building in which my fraternity brother worked. I had sent him a photo of another building the day prior thinking it was his but it was one of five, he worked at the other location the opposite direction, this time I may have been at the right spot. I turned the corner on South Myrtle Avenue and saw someone that I recognized. To my surprise it was my fraternity brother. I had walked at least 45 minutes unknowing to me that he worked at the location in which I just took a picture of and sent to him. We exchanged words, he himself surprised, told him I was headed to London and he pointed up the street and said he'd pick me up after his shift was over.
Old Town Monrovia resembles a quiet business district where locals patron shops and know each other by first name. London Gastropub sits with a red door out front, British flag proudly displayed and black trimmings that compliment the brick walls. Sitting at the bar there was a group of Brits watching the soccer game yelling and cheering. I figured London was like this. I describe that experience for one reason and one reason only: if we continue to be in a hurry, we will never unveil the secrets and pleasures of the small things.
Walking unlocked a pathway. I could have stayed at the fountain that afternoon and waited to drive elsewhere. I could have stopped at the first bar in Arcadia because it was convenient. I could have hungout all day in the apartment while life was going on outside. There is nothing wrong with any of those choices. I am simply suggesting that there is more out there than we think.
A few takeaways that I myself have started to do and am hopeful that by reading this you yourself can find noteworthy:
- Do something you have never done before - this could be as simple as drive to and from work on a whole different route. It is easy to slip in a routine but spice it up and turn left instead of right, go up instead of down, you never know what you will see.
- Turn down the music and listen to what the world has to offer - open up your windows and let the sounds of outside in. Listen to the harmonies of natural sounds, barking of dogs, blowing of the wind, conversation of others and the beating of the street. Open yourself up.
- WALK - every once in awhile, turn down a ride up the street and opt to walk. Not only is it a healthy choice, but it allows you to think, see the world around you, meet new people, stop and look at something closer, and you may even smile!
There is power in walking that as someone who calls themselves human can really find beauty in. Go outside right now, put your cellphone away, go in a direction you have never checked out and let the sounds of what could be move you to experience life for the first time. You may even surprise yourself.