# "Yesterday expanded" (expanded)

By [Pink Sink](https://paragraph.com/@pinksink) · 2023-03-28

#walks, #business trips, day 16/60

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Alright, so let's finally put a bow on this three part mini-series that really should have been one well planned post. The logical continues to elude me.

Post #2: [Yesterday expanded](https://paragraph.xyz/notes)

Post #1: When was the last time you left your home without your phone for any substantial amount of time? On purpose. (This was the entire post by the way, and I know what you are thinking... probably.)

All caught up? Good.

Let's talk about #2: Staying in hotels on business.

This is another situation where I find a lot of **value in being disconnected**. I travel a few times a month for work and end up at a hotel, close to a major station (for the most part), the afternoon before I am "on the clock". So here is the play-by-play:

1.  Arrive at the hotel mid to late afternoon.
    
2.  Freshen up.
    
3.  Pack a bit of cash in the wallet, a small notebook and pen, and occasionally an instant camera and that's about it.
    
4.  Head down to the lobby
    
5.  Step outside
    
6.  Point in any direction
    
7.  And walk
    

_Random reader: That's it?_

_Me: Yup._

_Random reader: Holy shit, how lame. I want my money back._

_Me: First of all, not so. Secondly, what money?_

So here's the deal. Too often we ask our phones where we should go, rather than asking ourselves, and I get it. "OK, Google. Where can I get tapas?" LFG.

I'm not saying don't do that. It's all good friend. This is just another option. Something to experiment with.

**This is an exercise in serendipity.**

Actively interact with life on occasion, rather than defaulting to the digital illusion of choice.

So I leave the hotel and I walk. And I keep walking. And I walk some more. I usually head in that one direction for an hour or so.

Hit a dead end? Nothing happening over here? Head back to the starting line and choose a different direction.

In case you were wondering, I go pretty much straight so as to not get lost.

Random reader: So where is the value here?

Me: Discovery friend, discovery

I have found so much cool stuff doing this. A_nd I started to write out several examples, but realized that is not the point._

Eyes up. Follow your curiosity. Explore. Take a few notes. People watch. Draw a picture. Head inside any shop or restaurant that looks interesting. Sit in a park and think. Chat with people.

**Be present.**

_Random reader: Cool story, bro. I live in the country_

_Me: There is no spoon._

This isn't about the location, it's about the idea_._ Take it. Apply it. Find your own version of "staying in hotels on business". Find your own line. See where it leads you.

Live light

AB

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*Originally published on [Pink Sink](https://paragraph.com/@pinksink/yesterday-expanded-expanded)*