You really do grow up fast in New York City, especially when a Manhattanite. Drugs were the tips of my fingers pressing a button away. Young, audacious, I was invincible. I could explore the borders of life’s many perceptions, never fearing that I would disappear into the abyss. It was as courageous as it was reckless. If you can make it here you’ll make it anywhere, it’s up to you New York. How often do you consume processed sugar or caffeine to feed your ambition? Hustle baby, it’s expensive.
Meditating in my spacious Mid-Wood room I hear the mucous built up in my lungs, my chest barely expanding when inhaling. Shit man. In nirvana I realize I’ve been killing myself subconsciously, that most of us are in some way or another. Really, truly, pick a poison: cocaine to keep you social, caffeine to keep you awake, alcohol for the highs & lows, cigarettes for stress…It was my sixth attempt at quitting smoking. Breathing, my lungs only function shouldn’t be this hard. Finally I stop for keeps.
We have two homes, the first is planet Earth the place that created us in the image of it’s elements. We are water, we live off the land, we eat and survive by fire, we would crumble, blue in the face without air.
The second is our body, your personal temple. A basic proverb that carries wisdom we ignore. We strain our bodies, exerting ourselves when we should rest. We ignore proper sleeping habits and worst of all are the things we ingest. You truly are what you eat, especially in America where we consume ingredients considered noxious in other countries, chemically laced, pesticide soaked, and genetically modified.
Volunteering at a senior citizen’s home I watch the elderly struggle with basic tasks like bending over, or carrying trays. Health is wealth comes true to form. Had they worked out they’d be sprightly. I vow never to take my body for granted, it takes care of me, it gets me places. I’ll eat properly and exercise, explore all the shapes it can make through yoga, increasing my strength and vitality.
Wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes, scrunch you nose. You haven’t had any limbs amputated. All five senses work.
Don’t take this temple for granted. Just like Earth this is our only home. Artist: Vadim Stein
