subway analysis.

My mom sent me this picture of a page she found in Real Simple magazine one day. 

She didn't know that I had a subscription to Real Simple and that this very page was sitting on my bedside table, yet to be seen. The text in this picture made me think about how I view the city around me on a daily basis. Having access to the New York subway system is amazing, but actually riding it isn't always so endearing. It can be dirty, crowded, delayed, confusing, and time-consuming. But, as they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, riding the subway is the experience you want it to be. It's hard to remember that when you go down those stairs into the complex maze of underground tunnels beneath the city, you are seeing every aspect of New York - the busy people, the wanderlusts, the homeless, the parents and children, the angry, the happy, the people who are like you, the people who are nothing like you. It is effortless to be grossed out by the trash on the tracks, to be annoyed at the person who is taking up two seats, to feel tired and uncomfortable as you stand in a tight space between ten people and the subway doors. It is not as effortless to notice people giving up seats, helping with directions, holding doors open for the straggler who is rushing down the stairs and trying to make the train.

Here is a video of a man playing an amazing version of Adele's "Someone Like You" at the 86th street subway station. I love his version of the song and I love that so many people around him enjoyed it as well. It is things such as these that are the heart of New York. It is these moments I need to look for when I'm starting to feel annoyed or frustrated with the busyness and chaos of this city.

Your home is what you make of it. Find the good.