The details make the moment.

So, you’ve found peace and tranquility on vacation? Big whoop.

Show me you can be serene in the middle of Times Square, and I’ll be impressed.

I’m being a bit cheeky, but it’s a wonderful challenge for all of us to find our negative space in places we wouldn’t normally expect - like a concrete jungle.

My first visit to New York City (I had just moved there for what turned out to be 13 years) was nothing short of overwhelming.

It’s estimated that four million people occupy Manhattan daily, which is approximately the population of the entire country of Moldova.

Entering a major metropolis like NYC or Tokyo (where I’ve only been on business) is a sensory overload experience, and it can become one big blur.

But what I soon learned is that by slowing down, I could appreciate the intricacies of a large city - those tiny parts that make up the fabric of the whole.

I would stop and enjoy the architecture of a skyscraper or row house - the individual details I would never see if I was zipping by.

As the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, wrote, “We should attempt to bring nature, houses, and human beings together in a higher unity.”

Absorbing the beauty of the geometric ornamentation of an Art Deco building was an inspiration I would bring back to the office.

Sitting and watching people go by became an endless source of fascination. I sometimes felt like watching a colony of ants running from one hill to another.

But there were also stories in the faces of the passersby.

Joy… anger… fear… friendship. Each tale was unique in its way.

A flower growing in the cracks of a sidewalk became a symbol of strength to me. And I could walk the same block dozens of times and still see new things.

So the next time you’re in a city, leave yourself some time to slow down and create your own negative space. The details make the moment.

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