On Being Busy

I write this as an apology--mainly to myself--for being absent in this space longer than I would like to admit. Writing was so simple when I lived in Oregon and found myself with more time, but now that I find myself living in New York I have become too easily entrapped by the pervading busyness that is so acute to city life. Yes, life in New York City is busy. Our work hours are long, the F train has been taking forever lately, and there is always something you could be doing, some event you are missing, and always something you should have done last week that somehow didn't happen. However, I have been realizing lately how easy a crutch the excuse of 'busy' can be to rely on and how easy it then is to disengage from life and lose the intention to do the things you need to do to live fully. 'Being busy' then becomes the default excuse and acceptable justification for why you didn't do something you know you love to do. For me, that is writing.

The initial goal of this blog was to share my life, which was being lived 4,000 miles away from my home, with those who were separated by distance and time zones. It was an opportunity to share photos and stories with family and friends far away. Yet along the way it morphed into something much more meaningful to me. This blog became the vehicle by which I was challenged to open my eyes to seek out the art in the every day. It was a push to view the world through a lens of discovery and to search for inspiration in the seemingly mundane, pay attention to the details, and to take note of beauty in everything. It became the motivation to try a recipe, to bring my camera, to seek out new art, and truly, to be an explorer.

The busy trap of a full time job in a city that never sleeps made me think that I didn't have time and that I didn't have anything to share. I then realized that I was allowing that to cheapen everything I want my life to be about and that only by being intentional with my time can I stop using 'busy' as an excuse.

There is a quote by Mary Oliver that comes to mind often: "Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." It is with that call to action that I am putting a focus back on what it means to me to live a life inspired.