There’s something about riding the NYC subway that flips a switch in my brain. It’s part chaos, part meditation, and an unintentional-yet-meaningful pause that jolts me into reflection. At times, it’s sort of like striking a match near gasoline.
Right now, as I sit on the Uptown 1 heading to dinner with friends, my mind is doing its usual thing where it jumps from one topic to another in 0.005 seconds. I’m thinking of what turning 30 means for me, Beyoncé’s Act III (maybe she’ll announce something soon 🤞🏾), my career, relationships, and why my dog’s food is still out of stock so on. You know, the essentials.
Whenever I find myself in these whirlwind moments, I typically check in: Where is this coming from? Yes, I’m in therapy, thank you for asking, but something about the subway’s rhythm does the work for me. The stop-and-go motion, the forced stillness between stations, it’s like each pause is an invitation to breathe. Except for when there’s a power outage during Mercury retrograde. *AHEM*
And sometimes, in that brief moment, my creative energy and intuition are able to flow through.
She’s quiet, but clear. Steady. Strong. When she speaks, I listen.
This morning, I was overthinking what I wanted to share today, but on this ride, I got the message: Stay present.
That was today’s lesson. Not a neatly wrapped idea, just a moment. And that’s enough.
This reminds me of something I’ve been discussing with my sister a lot lately. When a spiral isn’t rooted in negativity, it can be a space for breakthroughs and clarity. Maybe that’s the point after all.