After that hellstorm of a presidential election and the return of a familiar, dreaded face to power, stress seems to cling like a second skin to half of America. In moments like these, solace itself might be considered an act of defiance. And sometimes, to find it, all you need is a wall, a tennis ball, and the rhythmic thud that pulls you back to your breath. Mindfulness isn’t found in grand gestures or at the feet of for-hire gurus, but in peace that arises in the simplest, most ordinary rhythms.
Now, Tompkins Square Park is hardly where you'd expect to catch a moment of Zen. And in reality, my tennis was interrupted by a charming rogue claiming to be related to Robin Williams—he did look and sound a lot like him—asking for my phone number so I could perform a wedding ceremony for him and his girlfriend, a Yazidi currently out of town on business! I agreed, of course. How could I say no? Though the nearby NYPD officers looked at me like I was out of my mind and joked that the groom was probably drawn to the Pokémon hat I was wearing, rather than the 'Hard to Kill' shirt, which they remained somewhat suspicious of.
As should be clear by now, Episode 2 of This is Now takes place in NYC, where talking to strangers and making wrong turns is part of everyone's daily routine, mirroring the unsettling vagaries of electoral politics and bad bounces. In a place where chaos and charm coexist on every block, each moment holds the potential for the unexpected—an unfamiliar vantage revealing a hidden garden or a chance encounter that shifts your perspective. It’s a dérive through the overlooked, where joy, whimsy, and the absurd can help you get through the day. The rhythm of life here mirrors that thudding tennis ball—and every step taken: unpredictable yet steady, if you just breathe and let it happen we can rally through this.
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