The Zen Monk Thich Nhat Hanh has written a book called Peace in Every Step. I like the title a lot. The book is about mindfulness, I have heard. And, although I haven’t read the book the title is catchy and pops into my mind from time to time. During my two years in Manhattan I have rarely paired the ideas of peace and walking. The thought sometimes makes me chuckle to myself as I dart around groups of tourists who are happily taking in the sights or as I calculate whether or not I can successfully jaywalk without becoming a splat of goo on the radiator grill of van driven by a burly plumber from Queens. At those times, peace in just one step would be enough.
New York is as much hustle and bustle as everyone says it is. It’s exciting. It’s exhausting too. My mind is always racing. Walking is just one activity that makes me feel the need to rush. As soon as I get across one street, I ‘m calculating how fast I need to walk to make it across the next intersection without stopping. Instead of looking up at all of the amazing buildings, or enjoying the weather, I find myself plotting a zig zag path around the slow walkers talking on their iPhones, while at the same time avoiding direct eye contact with the recreational and overly aggressive panhandlers who want me to support their pizza habits. It’s always go, go, go and faster, faster, faster, for me.
I don’t really like go, go, go, faster, faster, faster unless I’m running a race that offers a sweet tee-shirt at the end. So, to slow myself down, I developed a game. It’s really more of a self-preservation technique but it seems more fun if it’s labeled a game. I call it The Manhattan Minute and it is so simple.
I play the game at intersections. Here is what I do for my Manhattan Minute:
If you get a chance to try The Manhattan Minute, or the Denver Minute, Seattle Minute, Toledo Minute, or Anytown Minute, I encourage you to partake. It might brighten your day.
New York is as much hustle and bustle as everyone says it is. It’s exciting. It’s exhausting too. My mind is always racing. Walking is just one activity that makes me feel the need to rush. As soon as I get across one street, I ‘m calculating how fast I need to walk to make it across the next intersection without stopping. Instead of looking up at all of the amazing buildings, or enjoying the weather, I find myself plotting a zig zag path around the slow walkers talking on their iPhones, while at the same time avoiding direct eye contact with the recreational and overly aggressive panhandlers who want me to support their pizza habits. It’s always go, go, go and faster, faster, faster, for me.
I don’t really like go, go, go, faster, faster, faster unless I’m running a race that offers a sweet tee-shirt at the end. So, to slow myself down, I developed a game. It’s really more of a self-preservation technique but it seems more fun if it’s labeled a game. I call it The Manhattan Minute and it is so simple.
I play the game at intersections. Here is what I do for my Manhattan Minute:
- When the “don’t walk” sign is on, I stop and wait.
- While I’m waiting I relax, take a few deep breaths and enjoy the stillness.
- When the “walk” sign lights up, I wait 3 seconds and then walk casually across the street.
If you get a chance to try The Manhattan Minute, or the Denver Minute, Seattle Minute, Toledo Minute, or Anytown Minute, I encourage you to partake. It might brighten your day.
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