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Living in New York City can be hectic. Cars, people, kids, horns, the never-ending stream of construction projects, ice-cream trucks, fireman, police cars, delivery guys, irritable New Yorkers, the metro, the list can go on for days (feel free to insert your own list here). The busy chaos only increases with the lure of warm weather and sunshine.
So when a friend suggested I embark on a six-day silent meditation retreat with her I immediately said yes and then worried about the reality of the ordeal later. The main question on my mind was, “what will I do all day?” It’s not just a silent retreat but a meditation retreat. Will I sit crossed-legged like the Buddha meditating ALL DAY? [...]
I’m not interested in finding a husband, having a couple of whiny kids fighting in the background, waking at the crack of dawn to get the husband and kids out the door for work and school along with myself to then come home cook, clean and deal with the husband and whiny kids again before falling exhausted into bed each night. Then step and repeat day after day until the kids leave the nest, the husband leaves me for a younger woman or I die. Maybe I’m being too hard on the institution of marriage. Perhaps, I’m not seeing its beauty. [...]
I woke up today with a pounding headache. My body aches and I feel as if I might be coming down with a fever. At first I figured it must be super early in the morning, like seven o’clock, for me to be feeling this way. When I looked at my mobile phone’s digital clock (the only clock I own) the actual time was twelve thirty in the afternoon. Frick! I’ll never make it to my writing group on time. It starts at two o’clock and it takes me an hour to get anywhere on the east side of Manhattan below the 80′s, although I live on the east side myself. Go figure. [...]
June actually brought warm weather this year and this summer I have it all. No stressful office politics to contend with or feelings of suicide over my current workload. Instead I have air conditionings during the hot days, views of Central Park, late mornings of sleeping in and free time to do as I please. Just yesterday I spent an hour mapping out things to do this summer in the city for free, oh lucky moi.
Shakespeare in the Park, Museum Mile festival, Summer Stage, free readings, the Harlem Book Fair, the African Arts Festival, Pride, museums and cheap eats with all those restaurant.com gift certificates I cash in with unused frequent flier miles that I’ll never use with United. The list is endless. [...]
The writer hard at work. [...]
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Say What?!