Finding the creative in these New York City streets; the good, the bad, and the stinking garbage scented

Wandering city streets may not sound like much of an interesting or fulfilling hobby. Yet it's one of very few activities I find soothing, meditative even.Walking is a big part of who I am. Growing up in Brooklyn until age 12, walking was always the preferred and chosen mode of transport. Even when we moved to the 'burbs we'd drive to a nature preserve or riverside park simply to embark on a walk. It keeps you healthy, sure, but it's also the easiest way to not just get the body moving, but also your mind and emotions.Walking meetings have a way of surfacing thoughts and sparking ideas that sitting and staring at other humans surrounded by four walls just can't compare to.But I digress.Walking around the city of my birth, the place where I work and spend the majority of my days and nights, gives me a type of nourishment that I used to think was un-nameable. And then my boss went ahead an named it during our staff meeting this week.Sonder.It's a noun, not a verb like wonder. In case that's what you were wondering.My version of the definition: the transformative and mind-shattering realization that every other human being walking around on this earth has a rich, complex inner life and perhaps we are, to each other, just a brief blip in their life's tapestry and narrative.Boom.That's why I enjoy my walks so much. It has to be the reason.I get lost in the faces and smells, noticing architectural distinctions and hidden artistry. It's freeing to not have a purposeful destination. Because that's when your mind is able to let go of the planning dinner and the counting of minutes to arrival. And your eyes get a chance to drink in the world. And the people.Like many other folks I'm sure, brief narratives come to my mind when I see people or places I've never encountered before that moment. I think of the places they're going and what the expression on their faces tell me."She's smoking post-fitness, how cheeky of her," I think to myself about the yoga-pant clad girl glistening with just-sweated forehead shine. "She's got to be stressed at work, that hedge fund won't make itself money after all."Sonder, right?And perhaps she's thinking I'm the gawking, short girl with sparkly platform slip-ons that's probably too old to be wearing a backpack.Regardless of what she thinks or what I think, city wanderings open up a world of characters and scenes, landscapes and smells. It's a creative's ideal activity, fostering creativity by delivering to new things you've never seen.Plus it's basically fitness + people watching. Who doesn't love that?When I write, I draw from characters in my own life. Not these finely drawn and vivid people I encounter on my walks. This city, every city, and every street is brimming with inspirational objects and beings. And I'm moved by them. It helps me breathe slower and more evenly to see other people living their lives.Maybe I should put the pedal to the medal (or just pen to paper) and color in some of these sonder-ific ideas and personas.What do you think? Do walks feel creatively-charged for you? Have you ever been inspired by a stranger you've come across?I'd love to hear in the comments.Ta ta for now.