same city.. a thousand miles away

Overheard on the subway platform:
“… you are in the same city, but a thousand miles away, my friend…”

Unfortunately, I relate…

So many different lifestyles here, meshing schedules isn’t as seamless as one would think… My very good friend (more like a cousin), lives a few train stops away, on the same subway line, and I see her maybe 4 times a year… maybe… So far just once in 2014… the warmer weather is upon us and that means more daylight… my goal is to create more balance in my life… I’ll keep you posted…

… you are in the same city, but a thousand miles away, my friend…

Living Authentically.

I spy dragonfly…

This weekend I mostly organized… while clearing out my phone photos, I remembered this copulation scene from late last summer, during their mating season… I’ve only seen pictures, so it is interesting to witness in the moment. I’m sure if I happened upon this a few years ago, I wouldn’t have stopped, even for a second. Boy, have I changed…

Living Authentically.

 

randomness in Brooklyn

I love standing under trees…

taking a break… (1 World Trade Center in the background)

 

Living Authentically.

lessons from the little one…

I am beyond exhausted, I can barely focus, but felt compelled to share…

The incessant rain, huge puddles, and the grumpalumps didn’t get me down today…

Armored with a huge rainbow-colored umbrella and Bogs boots (Hunters may be fashionable, but they are not warm enough for me), we opted to skip the cab ride home and frolicked around like the sun was beaming down on us… and, as if no one was watching, we had fun shouting out an off-key version of “Let It Go”… the little girl I take care of never allows the weather to dictate her mood, “April showers bring May flowers…”

It’s all about being present, going with the flow… taking the time to connect and breathe, even for a moment…

and taking a random photo… “the ‘rain’ never bothered me anyway…”

Living Authentically.

 

feeling the pain of the lie

I thought my value came from seeking validation through external sources… parents, family, friends, mates, bosses…

I thought my value was how much money I have accumulated or the job title I have…

…or that I’ll exercise and ‘look good’ so I will feel better about myself because if I’m attractive, then I am valuable (not because I value my health to begin with)

NO!

It is when I value myself FIRST that everything comes into place.

… magazines, advertising, media, society, culture… all reinforce this point of looking outside myself for value.

It is a LIE. The BIGGEST lie.

I cannot find value outside myself… Period.

So I believed that I am not valuable because I made HUGE mistakes… I believed I was not valuable because other people, including family, disapproved of me…

Waiting for others to value me, will only bring more people and situations that devalue me… as an opportunity to feel the pain of not valuing myself, so I can turn it around. I am starting to FEEL the pain of that now… and now using the pain to make the changes in my attitude and core beliefs….

If your self-esteem comes from praise, your looks, your money, your possessions, your job, your kids, your mate… good luck with that…

Living Authentically.

 

rush… then hush…

I’m so caught up in solitude with spiritual development that I still forget to stop and appreciate the beauty nearby… yes, this is life in NYC, but it can’t always be about rush rush rush… 

Living Authentically.

I’ve been waiting…

for the flowers to bloom…

Living Authentically.

more iPhone tricks

So my husband can’t stop taking photos of me and I usually ruin them all with scrunched up faces… the moment before the scowl… 

Anyway, he grabbed my phone to demonstrate a few iPhone tricks:

∗ Need to know the exact time of a text? Just slide the message to the left and the time appears…

* Use the volume button on the side to take a photo… (I keep forgetting this one and it is actually easier)

* Want to take pictures in rapid fire succession? Use burst mode, hold your finger on the shutter button…

Check out the link for more: iPhone Tricks

Living Authentically.

I miss out on NYC winter scenes because I’m a sissy when it comes to the cold…

This gallery contains 17 photos.

In my humble opinion, my husband, heyjoenyc, takes the best NYC photos, but he’s (mainly) a concert photographer. I just discovered these treasures just sitting on his backup! There is no way I can have my hands out of my gloves for … Continue reading →

I don’t get it, I don’t want to get it…

I just don’t understand how you live in NYC and not have friends of different races, ethnicities, backgrounds, and lifestyles…

I don’t get it…

I don’t want to get it…

But, it’s not for me to get…

That’s my opinion and I’m trying not to judge…

Living Authentically.