Being a city dweller, space is a limited but hot commodity. A balcony, a little green patch (that’s a yard right?), or dare I say, a roofdeck is everything. It’s an escape…an escape from the world – the daily grind – a moment to just let it all melt away.

Does that mean turning to suburbia for adulthood? For some, yes. But others (perhaps like me), still prefer the hustle and bustle – and convenience of city life. The ability to walk down the street to the grocery store, run through central park, be door to door from your apartment to work in minutes, and definitely  not sit in traffic. But there are those moments – when you need an escape. Spring hits, and it’s all about the outdoors. You don’t want to be cooped up in your “just big enough” apartment, but instead want to have the fresh air hit you in the face and provide a sense of balance from that madness we call work and life.

For me, I don’t have a balcony or roofdeck. However, I do have two parks and the Hudson River right at my doorstep. Within 3 minutes I’m feeling the breeze from the water, seeing the puppies running around, and feeling the fresh air that I missed sitting on my couch. It feels like you’re still in the convenience of the city, but have an ability to breathe too. And when I want a real escape – thankfully I have family and friends just on the outskirts of NYC to allow me to hear the birds chirping, the rabbits hopping about, and allow me the sunshine on a comfortable backyard with the BBQ smell drawing me in to put my feet up and say…yes please.

It becomes an every day or weekly desire to escape and unwind. But life isn’t that simple, and we don’t always have the time and luxury (and for those who do – damn good for you) to do so. So I am trying to focus on the quality of the experience  – the quality of the escape – rather than the quantity of it. For example – if I can get myself a walk home alongside the water, rather than taking the subway – that’s awesome. 45 minutes of quality time outdoors, before I have to do all that adulting stuff. And the days I can sit outside, on a picnic table, typing this post (yes, with fresh squeezed lemonade), damn life is good.

So what the hell am I saying?

Find your version of an escape. It can be:

• a walk home from work
• a walk around the neighborhood after dinner
• a day trip outside the city
• a picnic in the park
• a jog by the water
• eating dinner outside
• a 15 minute walk during lunch
• reading that book you keep forgetting about at a cafe outside
• or whatever suits your fancy

In the end, it’s about what allows you to escape, turn off your mind, and just chill out. Breathe a little more. Take a moment to appreciate the life you have and what surrounds you. Not everyday is perfect, and not every escape is going to provide the perfect break, but it can help.

Find the time to find your favorites…

#radiatedaily

image source – pixabay