Walking in Memphis

Clack Clack Clack. The sound of my heels hitting the pavement transported me to New York in my mind. People were out and about during the workday, lining the streets of downtown Memphis. It's that time of year, you know, when people make any excuse to be outside. I had to walk to Walgreens, so I set out from the office to play pedestrian for a minute. A good solo-walk downtown can do wonders for clearing my head. Occasionally you see people you know, but mostly I play the game of guessing about the lives of strangers.

So off I went. Clack Clack Clack. Was this the sound of independence I had been ignoring for months?There was something symbolic there, but I had been refusing to see it. I thought about plots of television shows that starred single women living the city life. I thought about the plans I had for the weekend. I thought about my career aspirations. I thought about the pulse of my city and how intensely I feel its cool vibe this time of year. All at once, I forgot about New York, and I felt present in Memphis. My home. I've lived here my entire life, but have you ever seen the same thing in a new perspective? When you live in your head for so long, you don't really live at all...

Clack Clack Clack. Back I went to the office with my Walgreens bag and my newest epiphany. I am 27 years-old in a city I love with friends I adore and family around the corner. For months, it felt like my empowerment was eluding me. But on a quick jaunt to Walgreens in the late afternoon, I tapped into something special - a feeling of contentment that, for now, my own company would provide all the  empowerment I need.