From my hotel window, I watch the world unfold below me. It's rare to get a vantage point like this, to quietly witness the myriads of lives in motion. Each person deep in thought, eyes fixed ahead, caught in their own rhythm. Some rush toward appointments or dinner plans. Others trail behind coworkers, half-engaged and half elsewhere. And some walk a little lighter, already dreaming of home. Birds must be wise, I think, to see all of this from above. So much life, all at once.