It was a quiet secret hiding place in which you saw the whole city of San Francisco, the huge house had secret doorways in every corner that led to different exits and magical places. I went through the back door into the balcony, as I would have imagined it was a small reserved place that showed a small part of the backyard. Little did I know that the backyard was a whole part of the forest and past that, the city. The serene view of San Francisco brought a peace to me that New York had taken away.

It was something about the quiet that brought peace to my soul. Something about the way the leaves descended through the gentle touch of the wind, how you could hear the voice of the ocean calling your name. The magnitude of nature and its beauty brought me to realize the wonders of life and the lessons of every experience I went through. There I was on the balcony of a foreign city, inside a strange mystical house, surrounded by nothing but silence. The sheer joy of being alone with my thoughts ignited my soul. There was nothing to distract me from who I was. In between the riot and rush of New York streets, you lose yourself and become the person you are forced to be to move on and be strong. While in San Francisco, I obtained the option of choosing who I really wanted to continue being. My life consisted of the decisions of everyone else but me. It was time to decide according to what I thought, felt and saw. Most people confide in others to heal their pain, I, on the other hand was pouring my soul out to an empty balcony, but to the present wind that swayed me and consoled my heart.

My whole life I had lived in New York and its rush. The rush of the street, the rush of the people, living in their world affected my life. My life has been affected by everyone I interact with, either emotionally or spiritually, our lives are affected by everything and everyone. Sometimes we need to stop and reflect on who we were, who we are and who we want to be.