Mercury Rx Days

A perfect way to spend a Mercury Retrograde day… take a walk and expect to see something you’ve overlooked.

One of my favorite places to walk is in NYC. The city always shapeshifts and its inhabitants delight the eye and captivate my imagination. The first big city I ever lived in was London. I often felt like a shadow passing through people’s lives because I didn’t build any lasting relationships there. But I did develop a taste for urban dwelling.

A philosophical bobby I met during one of my explorations quoted Dr. Johnson to me: “When you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life.”

I think the actual aphorism is a little different than that, but I switched it in my head to be about NYC (and other locales) ever since. When I lived in the city and longed to leave it, I eventually realized the problem was within me, not my address. Once I stopped being tired of my life, the city sparkled. Sometimes of course, a move is exactly what is needed, and that time did come.

Even though I’m now a suburbanite, NYC is a salve for my soul. It is totally worth my time to spend hours simply observing. My daughter puts on her sturdy shoes when we go; she has learned the hard way that flip-flops are no fun when mom is cruising.

We recently spent a glorious sunset strolling the extended High Line in my old neighborhood, Chelsea. Although the tourists have discovered it, if you love the city too, it’s a walk like no other.