I just recently got back from a mini vacation to New York City. I had two days of travel and five days in the big city. The big, beautiful, amazing, city.
Awhile back, I had two friends rack up enough courage to move out there and pursue their dreams. After some time, I started to hear from both of them.
"Oh Sharayah, this place is meant for you."
"Sharayah, you need to move here!"
"Come Visit!"
"You will love everything about it here."
I kept saying I would go, but I also found myself thinking that I probably wouldn't. Why was I thinking this way? Why wasn't I taking an opportunity that knocked at my door? I knew I had always wanted to visit, and I had friends there with a place. All I had to do was pull the plug and visit. It was the perfect opportunity to try to make connections with photographers and other creatives. It was the perfect time to visit cheaply and not worry about expensive hotels. I got caught up in the routine of life and had already forgotten how fun random adventures were.
So one day, I just did. I pulled the plug and in less than two weeks I found myself on a plane flying out to the Big City.
I have been to many big cities such as Chicago, London, LA, Seattle, Paris, and Rome. So I thought I knew what to expect. In fact, I didn't think that the city would blow me away. I believed I would arrive and leave almost untouched, unchanged from the whole ordeal. But I was very wrong. This one made a very big impression.
Everything there sparked with life. But so does every other big city. So what made this place so different?
It felt like I had traveled back in time, to the days I would kiss my parents goodbye, jump on a large charter bus, and head to camp for a full week. New York is a young person's place. It was beyond rare to see a child or the elderly. It was like going to camp for adults. The city is made of them. Everyones there for a reason, for a purpose, for a dream, and are loving it. Every turn you make, you bump into them. Even if you were to close your eyes to try escape, you wouldn't, because you can hear the excitement in everyone's busy feet.
This energy and excitement grew inside of me quicker than my lungs could take a breath. You were surrounded, and it was perfect. It was perfect like the day you fell in love. It was perfect like the day you graduated. It was perfect like the time you fulfilled the desires of your heart. It was just like that. The moment life is so amazing, that all you can feel is inspiration. And all you want to do is inspiring. And all of it is pouring out of your ears and mouth. You can't escape it, and you don't want to run. You just want to be with it, live with it for the rest of your life. Thats what it felt like.
I made many connections, and had the chance to work with a well known fashion photographer, Lindsay Adler, for two days. It was beyond incredible.
I can't emphasize enough, how important it is to have these little trips in your life. Sometimes the monotony of life can hit you for so long, that you don't even realize how much time has passed by. It's hard to realize how these little trips can lift your spirits and create a new energy in your soul.
Get out, see the world. Make little adventures. And meet people you never would have met.