Metro waiting thoughts

In one of the most high strung cities in the world, I decided to take a break just now. Yes, that is my salad and my orange mango drink in the picture.


Looks like a great little spot to catch a breather, doesn't it?

I'm actually two stories underground in an underground mall that connects to hotels, office buildings, and high rise apartments. Technically, someone could live their entire life without going outside this connected underground maze...and some may.

I haven't been outside since 7 am this morning since I attended and spoke at a conference all day inside a hotel with an elevator that dropped me off in this underground hallway.

Sitting in this spot over the last 30 minutes reminds me why I love being near DC.

I never know who will walk around the corner.

Will it be 30 teenagers in matching t - shirts touring DC? A Pentagon official trying to make his or her way back to the office? A cat lady? A family enjoying ice cream ( they actually just passed by)? An engineer? Here comes a woman in military camouflage. And there is the woman that never leaves this building making her way from the metro to her apartment. Is that woman from somewhere in Eastern Europe? Two Hispanic women just sat at the table next to me and two women directly from Asia ( I presume) walked by trying to figure out directions. Tall African American guy walks by with his iPod - most likely listening to an audio book rather than music.

There is no normal, except for the suits, pagers, iPhones, government issued blackberries, tired faces, stress.

We do it over and over again, day in and day out. Almost no time to think....except in these moments where I sit back and observe it all. At least there is a chair here and there won't be on the metro.

That is why I'm here. Calming down. Waiting for everyone to do their usual thing. Rushing home.

Life is short and the hamster wheel we spin on may never stop. We have to make the choice to either hop off or we may fall off (which could be really uncomfortable or even fatal).

Maybe I'm hitting midlife, but I'm realizing the hamster-ness of it all and trying to step off to another wheel gracefully. It is a painful switch. It could mean a different place, a different job, a different path. Or, maybe just modifying one of the above.

Pink moccasins, really long dreadlocks, loud phone talker, and now three ladies sitting next to me.

Hmmm. Maybe I will come here for contemplation more often.

But for now, I'd better start heading for the metro.

Sent from my iPad

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