Reading in the Laundromat and Walking in New York
"All of life is a foreign country."
- Jack Kerouac
"The journey is the destination."
- Dan Eldon
I've tried to read On the Road twice; I made it to about page 80 or so each time and was never wowed. We are coming up on the 50th anniversary for the aforementioned book now and Kerouac's name is everywhere now, especially in New York. There is even an anniversary bomber jacket coming out in celebration of this marker. Anyway, the Kerouac bug bit me today, so I looked up some of the man's material, and came across this quote. Not sure where it came from, but it's a good line.
This weekend is the longest stretch of time that I have spent with my mom and sister together in well over a decade. As much as I love these two people, it's often times difficult to be around them, my mother especially. This is a strange experience. On one hand I would gladly step in front of a car for the woman or give her a kidney, but going to the airport with her and just walking around New York City is like chewing rocks sometimes.
I think this is so for two reasons: (1) I am used to spending most of my time alone. Not too long ago, I had a really hard time being alone. After college having to be in my apartment alone really freaked me out. Five years later, too many people and too much noise make me almost claustrophobic. (2) Sometimes we slip into family patterns that were established a long time ago. I am no longer 5 years old and a complete danger to myself when left unobserved and near an electrical socket. My mother is no longer the one responsible for making sure that I don't get hit by a car or burn off my finger prints on the stove. Things can change relatively quickly in life, but human patterns of behavior are usually the last to change. Very few of us are the present Zen masters, so the default setting is usually what we play to when placed in a familiar situation.
Okay, so I'm going to give myself some adult credit today. After too much time spent with family in close quarters, I stated that I was going to do some laundry and went down to the local laundromat for some alone time with the non-English speaking locals, the food of their respective homelands, and the odd odors that go with them. It's funny how a loud, crowded laundromat can be a solitary place that provides deep, deep satisfaction. If I would have had a cup of coffee to go along with my copy of GQ, I could call it a near perfect moment.
Along with spending time with the immediate family, I spent the majority of yesterday walking through New York with a dear friend of mine who I will call JP. JP and I went to high school together. I haven't seen him for about two years now, but we picked up right where we left off. One of the unexpected things I discovered is that JP is a great shopping partner. He turned me on to a couple places in New York that had great products which were also on sale. I picked up a couple of $100 dress shirts for $60 USD, a sweater that had been discounted greatly, and a burgundy scarf.
Yes, a scarf--which as it turns out is one of the most masculine accessories known to man. Cary Grant wore a scarf, Paul Newman wore a scarf; believe it or not, John Wayne wore a scarf. It keeps a man's neck warm and adds a delightful and unexpected splash of color to what a man is wearing. Men living in colder climates have been keeping this secret from desert dwellers such as myself for years now. I'm taking this secret back to Arizona with me, and going to rock the look when the weather hits 60 degress--which may take awhile as Global Warming is real.
Namaste
- Jack Kerouac
"The journey is the destination."
- Dan Eldon
I've tried to read On the Road twice; I made it to about page 80 or so each time and was never wowed. We are coming up on the 50th anniversary for the aforementioned book now and Kerouac's name is everywhere now, especially in New York. There is even an anniversary bomber jacket coming out in celebration of this marker. Anyway, the Kerouac bug bit me today, so I looked up some of the man's material, and came across this quote. Not sure where it came from, but it's a good line.
This weekend is the longest stretch of time that I have spent with my mom and sister together in well over a decade. As much as I love these two people, it's often times difficult to be around them, my mother especially. This is a strange experience. On one hand I would gladly step in front of a car for the woman or give her a kidney, but going to the airport with her and just walking around New York City is like chewing rocks sometimes.
I think this is so for two reasons: (1) I am used to spending most of my time alone. Not too long ago, I had a really hard time being alone. After college having to be in my apartment alone really freaked me out. Five years later, too many people and too much noise make me almost claustrophobic. (2) Sometimes we slip into family patterns that were established a long time ago. I am no longer 5 years old and a complete danger to myself when left unobserved and near an electrical socket. My mother is no longer the one responsible for making sure that I don't get hit by a car or burn off my finger prints on the stove. Things can change relatively quickly in life, but human patterns of behavior are usually the last to change. Very few of us are the present Zen masters, so the default setting is usually what we play to when placed in a familiar situation.
Okay, so I'm going to give myself some adult credit today. After too much time spent with family in close quarters, I stated that I was going to do some laundry and went down to the local laundromat for some alone time with the non-English speaking locals, the food of their respective homelands, and the odd odors that go with them. It's funny how a loud, crowded laundromat can be a solitary place that provides deep, deep satisfaction. If I would have had a cup of coffee to go along with my copy of GQ, I could call it a near perfect moment.
Along with spending time with the immediate family, I spent the majority of yesterday walking through New York with a dear friend of mine who I will call JP. JP and I went to high school together. I haven't seen him for about two years now, but we picked up right where we left off. One of the unexpected things I discovered is that JP is a great shopping partner. He turned me on to a couple places in New York that had great products which were also on sale. I picked up a couple of $100 dress shirts for $60 USD, a sweater that had been discounted greatly, and a burgundy scarf.
Yes, a scarf--which as it turns out is one of the most masculine accessories known to man. Cary Grant wore a scarf, Paul Newman wore a scarf; believe it or not, John Wayne wore a scarf. It keeps a man's neck warm and adds a delightful and unexpected splash of color to what a man is wearing. Men living in colder climates have been keeping this secret from desert dwellers such as myself for years now. I'm taking this secret back to Arizona with me, and going to rock the look when the weather hits 60 degress--which may take awhile as Global Warming is real.
Namaste
posted by Zen_Accountant at 2:47 PM
2 Comments:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Absent a life-altering event (car crash, near-death experience for you or a loved one, etc...) people don't change. Changing requires knowledge of where you are, where you want to go, and a whole lot of effort to get there. Most people are lacking at least two and usually all three of these criteria.
So I'm not surprised you fell into familiar family patters. The same happened at my Thanksgiving celebration, resulting in one not eating with the rest of us. Sad.
The Laundromat sounds wonderful. Places where you can blend in and disappear are wonderful escapes. My favorite is the food court. Go figure.
Not that it is quite as manly but I really enjoy making scarves, but I don't wear them. Strange. One more thing to get back to when I find the time.
MAD
Michael Munson, where are you? I was wondering if the life story of Christopher McCandless inspired you to abandon your life as my cousin. Have you donated your life savings to a charity? (If not, can I be your charity?) Does Michael Munson still exist? If you have attempted to destroy your identity, you have done a poor job because you are still on facebook. This leads me to believe that you want to be found. Remember, I'm persistent. I will find you! A cousin's love is forever and boundless.
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