Look Around…(where are you)

Look around. Where are you? You may choose to answer that question literally, or you can answer figuratively, emotionally or circumstantionally. Whichever you choose, pay attention that you are in all of those places simotaneously. You choose to pay attention to and interpret your surroundings however you choose.
I currently live in the bronx and I work in brooklyn. I do not currently own a car, so how do I get to work most of the times? I ride the “Iron Horse”! I tell most people it takes me an hour and change to get to work, and most people respond in surprise, or some in disgust only hearing that my commute is an hour on a train with the crazy, stinky bums, or the beggers asking for a dollar, or sitting next to agitated people (if you have a seat at all). The setting they set for me sometimes can hold true but most of the time it’s not. Ever since I moved to the Bronx from Brooklyn I surprisingly was very excited about the ride due to this fact the hour that I now spend on the train is a time (5 times a week) that I have to myself. What do I do with the time? I use that time to read, journal and write down my thoughts similar to what I am doing now. Those things I do within that hour I did not do on a regular basis or practice before I started riding the train. I chose to view my train ride as a time that I can utilize and optimize for myself. The ride is very therapeutic.
I am currently enjoying watching the day break in my life because for me previous to me writing down my thoughts I complained about the many rainy days I’ve had. I look around and my apartment is virtually the same, I work at the same facility and my family remains the same. When I look around I enjoy the space and freedom I have within my walls. I enjoy the energy and the blissful ignorance of the youth I work with. I enjoy the fact that I can breath. I don’t complain about the pollution filled air we have in NY. I enjoy the many personalities and looking at the beautiful women that also ride the train. The scenery, variety and different things I can pay attention is a joy because there is so much going on I can ignore the unpleasant smells and people and in the same area enjoy the view of beautiful people and sometime even have a very enlightening conversation with a stranger. That is an occurence that can only happen in a place with such variety.
Now I ask again; look around where are you? Do you still feel you are in the same place? Think about all the wrong in the place that you are in and all the good. I honestly don’t care which list is longer, but I do care about which list you pay attention to.
I was walking earlier and I saw a mother and her two daughters walking and the youngers daughter jumped in a small puddle that didn’t wet more that the sole of her small shoes. I looked at the face of the mother which expressed small frustration, then I said to her “you used to do that too when you was young” she half smiled and said “cheap thrill” I responded and said those are the best ones, she shrugged in aggreement. I thought to myself that we can complain as adult about the things kids do or we can relate to the feeling we had when we participated in such activities. A lot of the time when we do so we feel the same enjoyment they do. I then notice from afar due to the fact I walked in a distance, the mothers posture lightened up and as she chased her daughter she smiled picked her up and played with the girl in contrast to how she was acting when I first saw her. She enjoyed running with the girl instead of yelling or waiting in frustration similar to what she was doing just a few moments earlier. Same situation different perspective.
Look around where are you?
¡You are exactly where you choose to be!

Sagittarius “The Golden Child”