If you should fall from your raft in heavy water, White Water Rafting Guides recommend that you relax, ride the current, and wait to wash a shore or back to the raft. It’s safer and less wasteful of your time and energy than trying to fight the current.
* * *
This trip to NYC was different. Iceman had originally laid out an elaborate spreadsheet of how he was going to spend his weekend. It was supposed to be neat; tidy; everything was supposed to go exactly as planned.
It turns out nothing in my life has truly gone to plan as of recently, and so it was only fitting that I choose the same solution for my weekend. Life doesn’t always agree with your plans so you have to improvise sometimes. Luckily, Iceman is quite familiar with this phenomenon so instead of fighting the current, he simply let it go; using his Blackberry as his compass guiding him towards friendly faces and walking in directions chosen by green lights and sunny sides of the street. I weaved through the city: consuming, processing, and dismissing millions of faces, sounds, smells, and decisions. I saw a human sized Elmo, Sponge Bob Square Pants, and a Tibetan Monk on a cell phone. I’m pretty sure I saw a Perfect 10 outside The Standard. I thought about my life and where it’s going. I thought about how I would keep paddling (in any direction) through my immediate future.
New York is a place where the current of life runs swift, heavy, and has a deep undertow. Luckily I have a collection of very high quality friends so during my time here I was able to tap into their thoughts on how life should run and how they keep paddling. I asked them about their passions and watched as their faces lit up in the telling. In a way, I steered my raft into their waters; for an hour, an evening, a drink, or for a walk about the city; trusting their navigation and casually watching (not hoping) to see where I ended up.
In the end, I’m note sure where I landed. But I know that I am back in my raft largely because the people I turned to in search of direction, advice, and friendship gave me their time, shared their stories, and assured me that I’m moving in the right direction.
* * *
The common bond between this particular collection of highly functioning and high achieving friends is that they also required approval, assurance, and consolation. They also worry, feel alone, and are afraid sometimes. But none of them lack ambition, drive, and the self-belief that they can achieve higher and higher goals (both personally and professionally). This is precisely why I keep such friends; they all seam find inspiration for their interests in different places; I find it not only fascinating to investigate but also mutually inspiring.
Ultimately, my weekend turned into a series of engaging conversations with amazing people about life- in a place that seems to (quite poignantly) embody so much possibility. I came to New York with the intention of connecting with the people that intrigue and inspire me. I came with the intention of parking my story to listen to theirs; and learn. I came with the intention of conveying to them how equally important they are to me despite the different and various sized roles they play in my life. I came to eat more bugers.
To all of you, thank you so much for such a great trip to the Big Apple.
Xo
Iceman
0 comments:
Post a Comment