AVALIIS //The Creative Collective of Leigh Ashlind

//RAINNY AND COLD SATURDAYS : 

The last few weeks have been just about anything but easy sailing, as harsh winds have demanded a number of changes to take place in my day to day life. From this, I have become more and more dependent on my saturday and nightly bike rides to clear my head a bit and try to obtain some sort of clarity through all the distractions and demands.  

As I was about to start my ride today I randomly got a call from a childhood friend who now lives in San Antonio. For the next hour we discussed our lives and our futures, what we wanted out of life, what are desires and passions where - and somehow make those passions and desires breath air by breaking the mold of ‘American success’. After wrapping up our conversation, and expressing our mutual appreciation for the discussion we’d just had, I jumped on my bike and began to ride into the flow of the city.  With a head full of thoughts, I just couldn’t shake our conversation.  What does it really mean to live a life of legacy?  To each person it is a different answer, but if I ask myself the question “If tomorrow I woke up and everything I had ever worked and planned for, was taken away, how differently would I live my life… or more importantly, how would I invest my time?”  It drastically changes things.  

As my ride continued, the temperature began to drop, as a slight rain started to pour down… I was a few blocks away from the Union Station Hotel (pictured above), and figured I would ride over there and watch the trains come in and out of the train yard, as I waited the storm out…  After about 20 mins of looking down over the train yard, a short old man came waddling up behind me, camera in hand, and obviously a tourist- As I turned to greet him, his response gave his identity away as his thick British accent bellowed out from deep within his plump belly.  

Upon this British man’s initial curiosity for American made trains, we stood there for the next hour discussing all things under the sun.  It was a much welcomed new friendship as we talked about how different our countries were, and the beauty of our homelands.  I couldn’t help but be slightly bias.  But coming from a man, who spent the entirety of 65 years of his life living in his motherland of Leeds, England - he was quite fond of the States. I found it quite interesting that the biggest complaint of a man who had never been to US before, was truly disgusted with our culture of having to tip someone for a beer. I couldn’t agree with him more.

As our conversation proceeded on, I couldn’t help but see the contrast but yet similarities in our lives and the roads we are both currently taking.  Here stood a man who after 29 years of working in the Blue Line in England, was for the first time leaving his country and exploring the world - defying the normal. Then there is me, a young man in his twenties, with my whole life still untainted and a body that is still able- trying to figure out what defying the normal is for me.  There we stood glazing upon the train yard, just two guys who’s paths had randomly crossed for 1 hour under a walkway.  Just two guys from different corners of the globe, at different places in our lives, traveling the same road trying to figure it all out.  Its quite poetic when you think about it. 

Our conversation came to an abrupt end when a sudden multitude of lightning attacked the city. As we briskly shook hands and ended our conversation, I jumped back on my bike and tried to race the storm, but was engulfed by the likings of a monsoon, moments later.

“Some people drift through their entire life. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it’s too late.”
- Mary Kay Ash