Last week I was sitting at Starbucks in the Bronx reading the Tao Te Ching. The new translation by Stephen Mitchell, in case your interested. As I watched Dominicans and Mexicans walk by, arms laden with Target bags and children, I wondered at how weirdly connected I felt to everyone. New York City, if you resist it, grabs you and pulls you along anyway. It’s impossible to spend thirty minutes in the city without watching people and getting swept into the noise, movement and color of the place.
New York City shattered my notions of it. A long-time fan of Sex & the City, I hoped I’d see lots of poofy skirts and designer jeans. I didn’t. I did see several pairs of three inch heels (walking over grates how?), a 2.5 foot tall Puerto Rican kid with a pacifier suspended from his neck on a gold chain, and a lot of, how do I say, humps. But it wasn’t the glamorous city I was expecting. (I think I just inadvertently alluded to two Fergie songs right then, wow.)
That is not to say I didn’t get a lot out of my stay. Being in the city reminded me why trying to deny my American citizenship is pointless (not that I do, but I like to claim internationalism as much as I can). It also reminded me of the gross discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots. Sitting outside of the Union Square Whole Foods (they sell PBR at the door–for the irony, I presume) was a woman, pretty close to me in age, dressed in black, huddled amongst her two mongrel dogs. She had a cardboard sign and a bag of Whole Foods groceries in front of her. Her head was on her chest and her eyes were closed. It was about 90 degrees. My heart exploded with compassion for her.
Then I went inside and made myself an organic salad.
When I met with Ethan of the ID Project we talked a lot about Right Livelihood which is a concept in Buddhism that basically says the way you make your living should align with the principles in which you believe (mine happen to be about a lot of “don’ts”: don’t lie, don’t take what isn’t yours, etc.). I believe that I should earn a living in a way that elevates others, nourishes me and does no harm. The yoga studio emerged out of these principles. My life is unfolding in a way that aligns with the principles of Right Livelihood, but it’s happening quite slowly.
I spent about six months in the corporate world when I was in Japan. That was enough for me. Right livelihood, right now to me, happens by creating multiple income streams, living simply (added bonus, I’m minimizing my footprint on the earth) and releasing when I most feel like clenching up, being a cheapwad or scared about money. I ultimately believe we live in a world of abundance. Call me naive if you will. I do what I love, the money follows.
Here’s to keepin’ on keeping it real, wherever you are and whatever you do.
(And if you’re not keeping it real, here’s to figuring out a way to make it so.)
I learned that it is very hard to randomly locate someone you know in “midtown” even if you have good twitter intel. ;-)
Shit, Gwen, another good post. I struggle with Right Livliehood all the time, didn’t know it had an actual “name.” Thanks for sharing. I feel it’s a constant growing process.
Indeed, another good post. Although in some ways I’m FAR from my right livelihood, there are elements of it in place. Reading this made me realize that I, too, think of mine in “don’ts”…but that I might want to start thinking about it in terms of “do’s.”
There is an energy to NYC that I truly enjoy every time I go there, but that energy isnt one way. The longer I stay in NYC, the faster I find myself walking, the quicker my brain focuses on the immediate, and the sounds of the city meld and dissipate.
But what I never have lost in that city is the sense of capacity. In that city, I could do anything, just at a pace I am not willing to walk.
The best line in your post is “I do what I love, the money follows.” With you Gwen, its not just money, but respect and love that seem to follow as well.
Keep being. It seems you are figuring it out one step at a time.
Unfortunately, when I travel to NYC, I always work from 7am to 7pm and I never get to see anything cool. I went with my wife last month and she forced me to see some of the sights and eat some good food and it was quite a different experience. Of all of the times that I’ve travelled to NYC, I feel that NYC is filled with some of the nicest people on the planet, just don’t waste their time. :)
If you can find a way to convert that “money flow” into Euros, I am all ears. ;)
Seriously though, another good piece. I grew up going to NYC twice a year, and have watched about 20 minutes of Sex in the City, so I came to the place from a very opposite perspective, but arrived at a similiar conclusion: there is sufferring (and beauty) everywhere, and it’s in our best interests, all of us, to have Right Livelihood as a career goal.
-Paul
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