NYC Summer '15

Looking down as my chariot chauffeurs me off to my vacation destination

A short time spent away from our regular everyday routine lives is sometimes all we need.  As short as a spa day to a month long retreat.  Time away allows us to truly appreciate life, as we have the opportunity to experience that which really make this life one worth living.


Every chance I get, I try to appreciate life, in that moment, for what it is.  I really attempt to submerge myself for a full and complete experience, without reservation and hesitation.  Whether I'm home or away.  Now, I'm no daredevil, I haven't jumped out of planes or swam with sharks...as of yet  (as I rule nothing out and limit my potential of a full life, whatever it may be).

I recently took a 12-day vacation to New York City.  To some that may not seem like much of a vacation experience, especially when its not the first time I've visited the Big Apple.  However, my 12-day experience in New York on this vacation was like the first time.  Yes I took the subway like I do on each NYC trip.  Yes I visited a few stores that I have before for light shopping.  Yes I met up with friends, I ate out at restaurants and I indulged in the city.
So you ask, how then was this a new and different experience to any other trip I have personally taken to New York?
Answer: I did some things that I've never done before, and saw things I had through a whole new lens.

I'm not the same person I was any of those previous times I visited NYC, I've grown, I've learnt, I've had other experiences, and these have shaped the way I view the life I lead now... shaped the way I embrace and experience each moment.  I owe a lot to my ongoing yoga practice, as yoga has conditioned me to slow down, be calm, look inward, reflect and be in the moment.

I tried to capture those moments, while there is no better recorder that memory, my pictures are the physical recreation of the moments I've lived.  Here are a few.  No, there are no pictures of me at famously recognized sites, executing a yoga pose, no 'OOTDs', and no pre-planned photo-ops.  Sorry.

Here's my vacation condensed into 8 photos.  All taken with my phone...no fancy camera, no filters, no expert editing skills.

View from La Marina

Times Square

Noodies Thai Kitchen - When on vacation, eat great food!

Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk

North Pool, 9/11 Memorial

Statue of Liberty & the Sunset with a 'Jersey backdrop

My chariot safely sails me over the clouds with a sunning sunset on my way home

What you experience as you view these pictures, or any others are determined by the lens through which you view them as a result of the place, space and moment you are in your own life.  I hope they are as positive for you as they were for me.


*I hadn't planned on posting any photos prior to taking them, so although I would have loved to share more, I wanted to maintain consistency in formatting (for the blog).  I'll have to look into linking my Google Photos so that I can share albums

~ Josie Jo ~


Do your vacations leave you more in owe of the world and life when you return to your regular routine?