I took a trip to the other side of the state this past weekend to enjoy my younger kid’s first concert featuring some pretty lovely up and coming youths. While I’ve always enjoyed visiting Philadelphia and all it has to offer, once I returned to Pittsburgh I felt the strangeness of being here speak to me in ways that were at once amusing and yet also sobering.
When you drive the same roads day after week after month after year it’s quite likely that you’ll stop really seeing those roads, or that park or shop you always pass by because how much do any of us *really* want to look at what surrounds us when a litany of seemingly more important things are beeping/dinging/chirping for our attention?
On my way through East Liberty the other day I drove around the Joy of Life fountain and was struck by a bright sense of adoration for the city I’ve found myself resting in for the last 28 years. Reflecting on that moment now and whether it had anything to do with the fountain isn’t clear, I just know that I felt a rush of joy traveling on that well worn path at that moment and wonder, can you manifest a feeling like this for where you are right now?
Will it require going away for a time and coming back for you to have a renewed sense of love for where you are? Or are you already in love with where you are? If so, spend a few moments now letting that love move all around you and out in whatever way feels good. Perhaps it will manifest as an act of service for your community or will make your smile brighter as you pass by your neighbors.
If you’re in a position where you can go away for a few days then do so and pay attention upon returning to the feelings that arise when you arrive to the place that’s your home for now. Does where you live have some kind of iconic feature that resonates with you whenever you see it, perhaps sparking joy in you? Be sure to pass by that then on your back and celebrate it still being there.
Life is short. Love big.
TimeSpaceOne 