I woke up today to this…
It’s a gorgeous sunrise with a giant Lego set right in the middle, or so you’d think if, like me, you have been trying to remember the sense of playfulness we had as very young kids.
Viewed from this perspective, the hundreds of pigeons I saw clustered together earlier this week in Columbus Circle weren’t birds… they were fresh off the bus for the 2023 Undercover Pigeon conference.
In this city, skyscrapers are giant jungle gyms and taxi cabs are yellow submarines. The squirrels in Central Park are telekinetic masters who can move acorns with their minds.
It’s especially intriguing to practice mind-reading in NYC subways. One minute, you're learning about quantum physics from the guy with the wild hair, and the next, you're in the middle of a dramatic telenovela, courtesy of the teenager on her phone.
This is where the mystic and the mundane dance the cha-cha on the streets, once you tune in to the Playful You channel.
It's where pigeons plot your next picnic, and the hotdog vendor might just be a wizard in disguise – his wand doubling as a spatula.
Then there’s lucid dreaming. In New York, dreams don't wait for sleep. They happen right there on 5th Avenue, where you find yourself buying a pretzel from a stand that definitely wasn't there yesterday. Or was it?
You don’t have to be in New York to unleash your imagination. You simply have to abandon all practical, pragmatic and logical thoughts for an hour or two. Reinvent the world around you. Develop alternate explanations and identities for everyone you see. Make up stories.
Life doesn't have to be serious to be profound. It's a canvas on which love is the perfect color, one that enriches every interaction and chance encounter. In this vibrant, quirky world, clarity comes not from stern focus but from the joyful embrace of the here and now.
Play more. Think less.*
*When you start thinking again, expect your thoughts to be much more worthwhile.
Yes! That pigeon looks......AWESOME!
I think this might be your most creative post yet, filled imaginative musings that invite mental leaps of fancy.
Here's to embracing that youthful quality again.