Get Lost

Today is going to be the first day it will feel like Spring in New York, it may reach 50 degrees. I'm going to try my best to not get too excited because it could very well snow tomorrow. Tonight, in North America, we change the clocks back one hour. With warmer, longer days coming, Spring fever is going to be hard to ignore today.

The bitter kind of cold Winter can bring, has a way of making us feel lost. That kind of lost is depressing. There's another kind of lost that conjures up feelings of intensified perception, that can generate feelings of gratification. When I first moved to New York, getting lost was one of my favorite things to do to escape boredom, as I was by my lonesome. I couldn't get lost now if I tried, but back then it was easy. Music, warm weather, a book and a strong cup of espresso made for perfect days of wandering around. 

When you look around and think "where the Hell am I?," the heart starts to race and feelings of vulnerability creep in, that's when the fun starts. Being lost puts you directly into the present, leaving the past and the future where they belong. It's a place to discover and appreciate little things such as a friendly smile from a stranger, the good smell of food from another culture or listening to other languages being spoken. After a long walk into the unknown, finding a welcoming coffee shop is like a gift. There you can plant yourself and people watch, sometimes even getting lucky and meeting others who are doing the same thing.

I'm going to go ahead and let the Spring Fever kick in, just a little, wooo!

Charles Street between the West Side Highway and Washington