Change of Perspective

In the morning I stood by the bus stop on the side of the freeway, darkness outside the sphere of the street light. Engines roaring, sirens wailing, fellow commuters standing silent, staring into the glow of their devices. I think to myself, "How the heck did I get here? Whose life is this? WTF?" When I first thought about leaving Maui for the Mainland I envisioned a small town, a quiet job, a simpler life. Wow. What happened?

Cut to the afternoon. Work done, I hopped off the bus on the other side of the freeway. I looked to my right and saw a peaceful bay framed by trees. I smelled eucalyptus despite the smog. I heard birds chattering despite the freeway sounds. 

Cut to the next afternoon. I hopped off the bus in my running clothes and before getting into my car in the commuter lot, I went for a trail run, starting with a view of the bay, then up, over and around the ridge to a view of the ocean and the tips of the Golden Gate bridge.

So living here is not all bad. It is a challenge to not focus on the frenetic urban energy, to not get sucked into the speed and chaos and competition for space and attention. It is important for me to slow down, to listen, to smell, to feel and to run.