here we go again, entry #2 for the 5 min writing assignment. I just got back to NYC, after visiting family and friends in both Utah and Los Angeles. What a stark difference in environment - city and cold, mountains and cold, beach and beautiful sun, now back to city and (not as) cold. The United States is a gigantic place - both physically and by population. Most people don't know the US is the 3rd most populated country on Earth at 350M+ people. It's crazy to think about sometimes. Especially when I think about the type of people I just saw and how different they are across Utah, NYC, and LA.
As I board the subway today I am reminded of the harsh and competitive spirit that drives NYC. I know I've been gone from the city when I find myself quietly surprised at a minor jostle or bump from strangers as I navigate the crowded Union Square stop to transfer from the L to the R/W lines. These close people traffic collisions are, at least for today, a surprise. By tomorrow I'm sure I'll be used to it again.
There is an infectious energy in NYC that, like all things, can be a good and bad thing. Everyone is the main character in their lives in NYC, everyone is on a mission. Just getting to work in one piece is a mission. The hardship of just having a day in NYC is an achievement in itself. In LA, life is easy, the sun is out, the world is smiling. This is why all people from LA have problems that are more spiritual and philosophical - "who am i?", "what do i want to be?", "what's my path to happiness?".
And that's time.
