walk of life.

so i told my homes the other day that we needed to go on a "walk of life." these walks, by definition should be completely random, so by dictating that we do one, i kind of defeated the spontaneity of it. but still-it's real.

what i call a walk of life is an experience. it's a time when you focus on the now. whatever pops into your head, your heart, your stomach, whatever, you satisfy it in that moment. it's charcterized by randomness (whatever that word means these days). i turn left, the convo changes. i turn right, maybe it's a new approach. you get it?

and, if i daresay must, it must, be at night. the night for me facilitates that restless spirit. the gotta go now. the these walls are driving me crazy. the nightime air awaits feel.

maybe it's a walk where nothing matters. it doesn't take itself seriously-there's no goal. maybe that sounds like the ruin of our generation, but i love that feeling. not just of not caring, but of not having to care. to be able to make one decision without thinking of its effect on another. i wouldn't call it irresponsibility, but maybe it's close. it's my secure recklessness. i welcome the uncertain. i'm not thinking about the 10 page paper, or the presentation, the problem set, the meeting, the notebook, the pencil-whatever. it's about me and all that other. a selfish little event that's mine.

the walk of life is a non sequitur. it's nothing like what you were doing before earlier in the day. you weren't thinking of going on one. it just happens.

so it follows that on this walk, you're accompanied by a down for anything kind of person. someone who isn't worried. it's not that he or she doesn't care, it's more like, what's the point?
this is someone that's chill, where the words come and go easy, and the next step is the best step.

since all (2?) of my walks of life have been in New York, it makes me feel like an urban adventurer. but an adventurer that doesn't get tired, pressed, stressed, or bored.
blocks upon blocks we walk. don't know just how far we've gone, cause we're looking forward, not back. and we don't see street signs cause they're not in our eyeline.

and it's a walk where distance matters. travel. explore. get the most mileage outta those $40 chucks. blisters, cramps, aches--and? please, move on.

personally? i've done one walk of life from west 4th st. to water street. think about it, please. one is the locale where ballers get to work. the other is just about certified wall street. just the differences in the places is enough, but the experience of walking into one realm of consciousness after another that's dictated by these hoods is something crazy. really. like did you just walk from the village, into chinatown, to the financial district? yeah i did.

my inaugural walk of life, and probably the biggest and baddest one, was crazy. don't really remember where we started, but we'll say around west 13th street. walked to the west village. the east river. around and around. then times square. yes. get into how real that is. walk back to 13th. then off again to a 7/11 on 23rd and Lex. it just gets realer and weirder. but always in a good way.

i wish i had a camera during these moments, but i always forgot them. and since it's so the essence of now, there's no turning back. so you just remember. like how one old, very possibly crazy dude came up to me and the aforementioned friend, saying real crazy stuff. "yeah, yall look good...yall eat p....." but you get the picture. i would say be prepared, but why? it's all in the not knowing. the oh shit, did that really just happen? "ignorance is bliss" works every time here.

and you just go.
it's.... "i want a chili cheese dog." "alright." "uhhh, let's just go this way." "sure." "you pick a direction." "okkkk, left."


it's really that simple. and perfect.