Your wheels… Will they get you where you’re going?

I’m at the airport and I swear this carry-on bag is fighting me every step of the way. Whatever happened to those smooth, steel ball bearings? These worn plastic wheels can barely keep up!

As I am tugging at my bag through the endless corridors of the Salt Lake City airport, I am reminded about the importance of wheels that keep us going in our lives. Whether it’s the wheels on our cars, bikes, sports gear, or even wheelchairs—they’re all designed to get us where we need to go smoothly and quickly. Metaphorically speaking, how are your wheels doing? Are they running smoothly, or do they need some maintenance? How about the wheels that make our society roll? Are they well-oiled and ready for the journey, or is it time for a change? In our personal lives, are the wheels turning and capable of going the distance?

Fun things to think about. You never know what you’re going to come up with when you’re at the airport!

© Sandy Hibbard 2024

We live in micro-bubble lives. Work, home, our market, schools, where we shop and where we eat, is all a microcosm of this big world. It can be a bit stifling. Sometimes you need to break out and experience the rest of the world. You probably don’t realize it, but you really do. Living in our bubbles is like being in a thick forest – you can’t see the forest for the trees. Exposing yourself to the other 99% of the world will make you appreciate your life (or give you the courage to change it), make you more tolerant, and broaden your ability to love and interact with your fellow humans. It’s good for the soul, and I know of no better place than New York City to do that.

Where Souls Meet

After I got a divorce in 2010, man did I need something for my soul, so I ran to my niece who lived in Brooklyn to get away from Dallas and to heal a little. I was fortunate enough to be working for myself which allowed me to make trips to NY for business and to see my family. During these years of visiting and under the direction of a fabulously liberal New Yorker, I learned the ropes of living – and understanding – the greatest city in the world. My soul fell in love with NYC.

The Marriage Agreement

I remember before I moved to NY, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around how people could live in such small spaces. It didn’t take long, however, for me to fall in love with the density, diversity and energy of this place, learning that people are willing to exchange their overblown mega mansions and large living spaces to have “all this” at their disposal. That was me. I was ready to bond with the world, have it under my nose and available. Space? Highly overrated. I needed so much more than a big house with a pool. And that’s the marriage agreement with NYC; space for the best of the best. So in 2016, I made the leap and moved to NY, to a  little neighborhood on the other side of the East River called Brooklyn Heights.

The Art of Living 

It was there, on a narrow tree-lined street of historical brownstones, in a 300SF apartment, I learned the art of living small and exploring big. I learned you don’t need a lot of space to entertain. I learned that a really good cook doesn’t need all that kitchen stuff. I learned that 300SF is really all a human needs. I learned to make conversation with strangers (neighbors) on the street, in a bar, at the laundry. I learned the art of relationships, making friends, logistics and organization – which oddly, gave me a sense of self and better control – all the while feeling free to be myself more than ever. My soul was fully activated!

More than a  City

During my short time of living the life of a New Yorker (just over 2 years), I amassed thousands of photographs of my adventures and sightings. It became my daily goal to capture a small snap of the essence of the city that has enchanted the world  and captured my heart. I invite you to take a peek into my experience of living in New York City through my pictures. My recent gallery is Experience NY but there are several more galleries on NY, so enjoy digging around on the site.

The World’s Community

NYC is not all buildings and people, as you can see, they only provide the backdrop to a beautiful community that includes gardens and parks, amazing food, great wine, good people, beaches and boardwalks, museums and so much more. It’s the best of the best, all sharing, thriving, and living their lives with each other.

Let it be known, I did leave a pretty big piece of my heart there .

Be sure to visit my gallery at  Experience NY and more on LensQueen.com.

“What is this feeling of love,
life,
freedom,
exploration,
beauty?
I feel it all in one breath.
In one sound of his voice.”

Photo by Sandy Hibbard at Lensqueen.com
Amsterdam Hotel

* * * * * *

I started my day today on a solo excursion up the street from our hotel.  I stopped at Cafe Pierre on Boulevard Magenta to have my morning (or actually early afternoon) cappuccino.  The sky is overcast today and the it is windy and a bit chilly, but when the sun comes out it warms quickly.  I spent time at several street corners with my camera in hand snapping cyclists – I was amazed at how well they navigate the traffic and the streets – people of all ages, sizes, men, women and kids!  I snapped the photo below of a beautiful Parisian dressed to kill and on her bike!  You would NEVER see this in Dallas!!!   The city is bustling all around me and inspires my muse….

Pulsing, living, breathing, in and out
Paris the city of people – diverse, beautiful at it’s core
Inspiring, magical, elegant, cryptic, crazy, wild
Only people mar the landscape
….or embellish it

Like flowers and weeds existing together to make a perfect garden
a city of lights where love lives in the consciousness
open, free, passionate and lovely –
the wine of life served up at breakfast, lunch and dinner,
and before your final goodbye.

Love Love!
Sandy

© Sandy Hibbard

“I get out of the taxi and it’s probably the only city which in reality
looks better than on the postcards, New York.”
~ Milos Forman

It’s November in NYC, and it has never been better!  A little rain, cooler weather, sunny skies, cloudy skies, sidewalks strewn with the autumn colors of fallen leaves, the smell of fresh baked bread, coal oven pizzas and sidewalk delicacies – this is the time to be in the city! I have had a crazy week, lots of work and still needing to catch up on rest, but I kicked that nasty cold and have been taking in the streets of NYC for the last few days I am here.  I will be returning to my home office in the Dallas area this week and even though I am ready to be home and see my loved ones, I am a little sad to leave.  There is an energy here that is undeniably New York City – it’s addictive!

Today I plan to meander over to the Farmer’s Market at Union Square and then possibly to Central Park for a stroll by the lake.  Maybe I will hop over to Rockefeller Center and look for a Christmas Ornament for my mom – whatever the day brings, I promise to soak it up and be in the moment, the moment that is mine.  I hope you will do the same.

In case your week has been busy, here is a chance to get caught up on what has been happening here at Saturday Soul this week:

Don’t Despair, Another Train is Coming – This week’s Saturday Soul article on not giving up, this too shall pass and there is something better coming your way!
Watch the Dance, it is Everywhere – Yoko Ono inspiration on paying attention to the beauty in each moment we have been given.
Masks are not just for Halloween – What are masks and why do we wear them? A little info that helped me to take a deeper look to understand myself.
Love in the Works – Poetry from my heart to yours.
Love, Lace, and Fragile Things – Poetry on the sensual beauty and fragility between lovers.
I miss this little girls heart – Keeping that childlike heart sometimes needs a little help with the right body language!
Love and peace!  Enjoy your Sunday!
Sandy

I rode my bicycle down the street
inexperience got my toes caught in the spokes
tore them to shreds
yes, the hub of the wheel (that makes the bike go)
how did I know?

Then there was the speed queen experiment
down the sticky asphalt hill
no fear Sandy is here
Oh I can take this
out of control
over the edge, sure
breathless, scraped and bloody
fucker ate my lunch!
“It’s like riding a bike”

Then there was my pimped out Schwinn
ahh pretty flowing handlebars and that darling
basket
I rode alone
full of pride and a fearless attitude
taking me to a new place
wind in my face, carefree
and my hair?
tied back in a bow
“It’s like riding a bike”

A green mountain bike, my only
mountain bike
built for control, stability, rugged terrain
excursions around the lake on Sunday’s
never really mine, just available when I needed it
when he wanted it
“It’s like riding a bike”

© Sandy Hibbard, all rights reserved

Photo © Sandy Hibbard, all rights reserved