Ms. ZigZag

Angel Posing as Street Artist in NYC

 

Have you ever found god in the eyes of a stranger? I did. In a street artist in China Town. 

Here's how I found him: my F train from Brooklyn stopped due to some weekend subway issue, so instead of waiting to see if the problem cleared up, I decided to get out and walk through China Town to Broadway and Lafayette street (to the West Village) in order to get my connecting number 6 train to Grand Central Station. I figured it was a sunny  Sunday morning and a walk through the city would be good for me. I thought the streets would be relatively empty and serene. And I wanted to fall in love with NYC again. There's nothing like a long 30 minute walk through the towering buildings on a summer day.

When I emerged from the subway, the streets were packed.  The masses of people walked together like one giant organism. I couldn't imagine what the streets must look like at rush hour on a week day. For a Sunday morning China town was off the hook. Hundreds of Chinese people approached me asking I wanted a new handbag, a new wallet, a new belt, or perfume. I was bumped and pushed though the city rather than on a leisurely walk. Finally as I headed up Broadway the streets emptied a bit. It was one of those moments where I felt so disconnected that just wanted to be close to something. It was right during those thoughts that I saw a street artists standing next to his t-shirts. His eyes were filled with joy. This man loved New York, and I needed to remember what that felt like.  We chatted it up about Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, and what it took to make a living as an artist on the streets of NYC. I really appreciated his kindness and patience. He made me see the beauty of NYC again.

I walked away feeling refreshed again. Thanks Mr. Street Artist Angel. I forgot his name, but gave him my card. Hopefully he finds me on facebook.

The East Coast Sneak

 

Me, Lisa, and Claudine. Chillin in Brooklyn.

I can't believe it's only been a month since my last blog. Is time speeding up or what? In one respect I feel like one month has been a year's worth of learning, yet it's going by so fast.  Whatever it is....I feel like my life is being compressed into delicious fudge.

As some of you know I snuck back to New York City for a few weeks to help my mother and visit a few friends. I am sorry to those that I didn't get a chance to see, but this was a specific trip for specific purposes and sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

I find it interesting that New York City is considered such an influential city. No one composts, recycling is not taking very seriously, and the majority of people don't seem to know, or believe in, the power of intention, energy, or progressive science. Pollution in New York is out of control and most people don't even look you in the eye when they walk by you. I guess I'm just spoiled from living in the greatest place on earth: the Pacific Northwest. We seem to have it all out here.  Big cities. Happy people and healthy, progressive living. I've never been more proud to call Portland, Oregon my true home.

Never Stop Smiling

During my time in NY I had to find a way to combat all the negative attitudes and tense energy.  The city streets were filled with hundreds of legs and arms bumping into each other. People looked withered and zombie-like. I was amazed at the lack of common courtesy. New York is exciting, but it is also overcrowded, noisy, dirty and trashy. My heart went out to all the haggard faces. I'm sure that there are a lot of wonderful happy people in NYC, but the grand blur of what I saw made it hard to feel at peace amongst them. I tried my best to keep smiling and be polite. I have come to realize that my gentleness is my strength and I used my gentle energy to guide me. I was often asked where I was from and told, "you're too nice to be from around here."

A bus driver even made fun of me, telling me I was going to get hurt if I kept smiling so much. I just kept smiling.

 

 The view from Brooklyn looking at the Brooklyn bridge. The smell is awful, but the view is nice.

Justin and Me. He moved to NYC  9 months ago. Now he's coming back to Portland!! AW YEAH. Nothing beats P*Town.