I'm a wonderer, my husband says I wander too, and he is right, as far as my mind goes. I can dream up some very involved scenarios in my mind without knowing I've left the conversation, but he means I drift left and right while walking. ha ha
I don't consider myself a wanderer so much, as I stick to the path. I wonder about other paths all day long, but I celebrate the aspects of my life I love and prefer to do them on repeat, more than craving a new experience or the energy of exploration. The unknown is a little scary to me. My exploration tends to be internal.
My point to this is to say that even while wandering your favorite street, you can wonder about the world, or even the stories of those that work at your coffee shop or favorite boutique. We can ask interesting questions (inspired by cafe gratitude) of those we don't know personally and we can listen for new sounds, say hello to someone even when they look down as we pass one another on that familiar street, wondering how that changes the world. We can wander into a new shop or restaurant, just to see how it feels. We don't have to stay or spend money necessarily. Yesterday while taking a stroll with my friend Conni, we found a few sweet spots in Little Italy that I hadn't noticed before, on the most familiar of streets, and we laughed, like kids playing, because we were actually adventuring, in the safest way possible, but we were, because our eyes were open and we were enchanted by what we found. That for me is a game we play with the universe. It's deeply personal, so subtle it can be missed and so sweet it can brighten the greyest of days.
So next time you are exploring Little Italy, start at vocabulary of course and make your way down to Stroll and Apothe Beauty. Say hi to Cassandra, or Lacey or Katie. Tell them Cecelia says hello and maybe give them a high five, for sticking it out, helping to cultivate a neighborhood that is worth wandering, despite the challenges of running small businesses. Maybe ask them why we do what we do, I wonder what you'll find. I'm updating my Cecelia's Guide to Little Italy as new spots have opened, menus have changed, etc.
Please share with me your favorites.
Have a WONDERful Wednesday.
xoxo, Cecelia
Ps. this sweater is EVERYTHING!
