Vagabondage! A Nomadic Adventure

Part 4: My Own Road

"People have (with the help of conventions) oriented all their solutions toward the easy and toward the easiest side of the easy; but it is clear that we must hold to what is difficult; everything alive holds to it, everything in Nature grows and defends itself in its own way and is characteristically and spontaneously itself, seeks at all costs to be so and against all opposition. We know little, but that we must hold to what is difficult is a certainty that will not forsake us; it is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be a reason the more for us to do it."
Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke

Rather unexpectedly, this trip so far has become an experiment in solitude. For that reason, I am very grateful to always have Rilke, nature and my spirituality to guide me. It's been really strange to go from feeling incedibly lonely to being completely happy with myself, sometimes within a day, or even an hour. Because I'm staying adaptable, I'm finding it easier to turn the loneliness around. After a couch nap with old movies in the background as my sound pillow, I was restless and decided to go get some Polish deli food and hang at a neighborhood coffee shop. Got the food to go, the coffee place didn't allow eating outside food, so rather than get upset, I got the coffee to go as well and walked back, in the rain, my backpack soaked and coffee spilling on my hand. But I just finished a delicious feast, and Bette Davis and I are doing just fine. About to enjoy my coffee and, yes, donut by the open window, listening to the fan, the rain, and MGM classics. Meeting Jesse out later for a few drinks. So you see, everything in its right place. Watching the signs as I go. I think there's something to be learned at every stop along this path, and I for one am fully committed to this particular crash course. Stay tuned for photos and reasons why I love New York!