Southern in the City : The Reminder.

You know when you go through your day to day and you forget to think about how lucky you are?

I've been in that kind of rut.

I've been forgetting to look up and see what is all around me!

We do this because it is a way to move through the hustle.

My work has been killer... over nights are hard.

Mostly because I work all night then i've missed out on the whole day!

This Saturday I was off so I finally had the chance to get my hair cut and go grab some drinks with my roommate Danny!

We went to Mercury... my "cheers".

OH and I love my new haircut!
It's a little shorter but so much healthier!

Of course seeing fabulous friends including an all time favorite Jose!

Jose knows everyone... and I mean everyone!

Oh and me and my roommate/model Danny!

The next day was devoted to sleeping and getting ready for my overnight shift at work.

I hate to skip around but lets rewind back the beginning for a moment.

Just going through day to day...

Everyone knows how it is... you begin to get so sucked into working and that you forget to stop and look around you.

Things begin to annoy you... days become just a blurred image and people who interrupt your routine become an annoyance.

Today I hopped on the train to another job interview for a side job while I continue to work towards developing my career.

I sat on the train and found my self surrounded on all sides by a group of young black men... maybe age 14 and younger.

Like all teens they have total disregard for people around them and they have trouble controlling their volume.

They didn't mind speaking over me to each other either.

I was hot, tired, and just trying to get to this interview on time when they began to rap battle.

My level of annoyed sky rocketed.

I took a deep breath and kind of began to listen.

These kids were rapping about their personal lives.... this is how they were communicating feelings with one another.

One rapped a story about how his father is in jail and his mom is his number one girl.

His friends bobbed their heads and seemed to really connect with him.

All of a sudden... when I started to listen... and remember we are all people... the once annoying sounds around me became a sort of poetry.

They went back and fourth and a lot of what they were saying was not age appropriate but then again these young boys had experienced more in their 14 years on earth than I had.

My small issues that I obsess over become minuet compared to what these boys were telling each other via poetry.

This is a small moment I wanted to share.

I think this was a growing moment for me.

It was a perfect reminder to remember we are all just people and to open my eyes and remember to see the beauty that surrounds me.

I ended up being an hour and a half early for my job interview so I decided to take myself on a lunch date!

My amazing mother sent me an Ipad mini and I have been reading on it so I thought it would be a good chance to read, cool off, and get mentally prepared for my interview.

I found this great little french place and chowed down!

I went to my interview which went well and then I decided to do some exploring.

I found my self somewhere between Bergdorf Goodman and central park at this beautiful fountain.

I sat and watched tourist come and take pictures and wet their hands to stay cool.
There is something about the city that makes it so hot.
Maybe much like North Carolina it's the humidity.
I was beat from the heat and I took advice from Carrie Bradshaw.
If you are an avid fan of Sex and the City you will remember when Carrie goes on a date with NYC.
She states, "My favorite part about living in New York is that any given night you can go to Paris". Next scene she is buy a ticket for one at the Paris movie theatre.
I decided I would do the same.