Love on my lunch break

I may have met my soulmate on my lunch break
The encounters in this city happen frequently, on the train, in a taxi, on a corner, walking down the street, and sometimes on your lunch break.
Today I ran home real quick on my lunch break, I forgot that I was playing Santa after work, delivering gifts to the little munchkins I used to nanny for. So I ran home real quick, I was making a steady path down the sidewalk and I was doing my mom speedwalk at the mall when I realized someone was coming towards me from the other way. I looked up and started gauging when I was going to have to move out of his way, you see he was actually running, unlike my speedwalk and I didn't really want to be mowed down. So as we approached one another, I moved to the left, so he could go past, well it seemed that he had the same idea. So there we both stood, on the left side, with a tree in between us waiting for the other to go past, when we realized what we had both done, we peaked around the tree, and said go ahead at the same time. We shared a laugh, and he spoke and said, "thank you, but really, go ahead. "As he smiled. I smiled back and said "thank you." And walked away with a smile on my face.

Monday in New York

Sometimes I wonder about New York. It really is like people say. One day you love it the next you hate it. Well just when I thought it was going to be one of the latter days I was pleasantly surprised. There I was on the crowded train, with my coffee in one hand and my bagel bag clenched alongside it, praying I maintained enough balance not to spill on anyone. I made it through the first stop, fine, no problem. Onto the next one. Well I stilled myself and tried to be as little as possible. Well it almost worked, until the mob moved and my bagel bag was swiftly removed from my grip. I saw it kicked once, but miraculously stayed in the bag. I thought of venturing to bend down to pick it up but then thought that I would rather not start my Monday off by being kicked in the head. So I soothed myself by reminding myself that I still had my coffee. And then miracle of miracles, a girl in the front of the mob seemed to box out the whole crowd, causing them to pause as she bent and picked up my bagel bag. And then handed it to me. It was simple enough, but sometimes a kind gesture brings you to tears. And this one did. I said thank you so much. She smiled and got off the train and the mob continued on their way. But somehow, no one seemed quite that bothered by the pause. Lucky for me

Therapy session

Sitting on the platform, waiting for the train. This man comes up to me, "Do you ever have those experiences where you are talking to someone on a train and you think its going somewhere and then someone else just interrupts?"  He looked at me, expecting an answer, I didn't know what to say, "No, I don't, but I'm really sorry that happened to you." "Yeah, me too," he said, as he walked away.

Nice shoes

It's the morning, and there's not enough coffee in the world to make NY commuters happy people before 10. Everyone in a rush to get to where they're going, avoiding eye contact while packed into subway cars like sardines.  I looked at the girl I was standing in front of, a bit on the gothic side, I looked down, avoiding eye contact as well, but she looked like she was on the verge of tears, I tapped her knee as I exited the train and said "Awesome shoes" She smiled, a beautiful smile and said "thank you."  If only we made more eye contact instead of avoided it, but sometimes the Lord provides an opening... even on the floor of a subway car.

Irish accent

The Irish accent, it made me close my eyes and listen intently, dreaming of a time when I slept in a castle.  Missing my stop altogether.

Butterfly

As we passed on the street, she looked up at me from behind her butterfly mask, and I could just imagine how that conversation went.
"but mom, I want to be a butterfly today." And rather than fight it, the mom gave into her daughters whimsical side for the day. But all I saw was a little girl hiding from the world and wished that it was acceptable some days to wear my own proverbial mask and hide from the world as well.

Hope on a subway car

The homeless woman on the subway smiled at me, I smiled back. But she touched my heart as she moved, with all her worldly belongings so that the pregnant woman that entered the train could sit instead.

Waking up on the wrong side of the bed

You know how they say "never go to bed angry." I think that should be applied to the morning as well "don't wake up angry." As I saw this woman stop in the middle of the sidewalk to get her tirade out on the phone I just shook my head and felt pity for what ever she was dealing with before 9am. No one should wake up that angry.

Childlike

In the morning, we all press on, squeezing ourselves into the smallest spaces of the subway car. And I look around and half the people are doing this, whether they are really sleepy or not, who knows. But they are all closing their eyes. I feel like you are only truly tired enough to fall asleep on the train at the end of the day. To me it seems like we never really grow out of the "if we close our eyes, everything else isn't really happening" stage. It's a little kid reflex, when something bad is happening, they close their eyes or if they want to avoid something bad, they cover their eyes. It's the same for adults in New York on morning subway trains, they all close their eyes and pretend that they aren't all squished in like sardines, like they aren't closer to the stranger to their right than they were with their husband in bed that morning. They close their eyes and pretend to be any where else than that uncomfortable situation, just as a child would. So, do we ever grow up? Or out of those habits that are "childlike" ? I don't know, I'm not quite sure, but I can tell you I like seeing these habits take form if even for a moment and I like remembering my childlike nature is still at the core of the things that I do.

Do you wonder

What people see when they look at you? Do you ever think about that?

People stare all the time, I know I've been guilty of it. And in my head I know why I'm staring. Mostly it's because I see something I like, a hairstyle, a lipstick color, a necklace, shoes whatever. And usually if I'm close enough ill say something to the person. Usually they'll have looked up, you know because of that weird feeling you get when you can feel someone's eyes on you.

So when I get that feeling and I look up and see someone glancing at me, I constantly want to ask, what is it? What do you see? What are you looking at? Do I have my breakfast still stuck in my teeth? Did I forget to put makeup on one of my eyes? What is it? I'm just curious. Which is why when I get caught staring I usually say something because who doesn't want to hear nice things about themselves? Or even cautionary things? So my charge to you, if you see something, and you think it's pretty/spectacular/beautiful/cool/insert adjective, unless it's cruel to say, say it! You only get one life, make connections, brighten someone's day.

Exactly.

Humans of New York

"People are interested in strangers, they're just afraid. But they'll piggyback courage. Just like when crossing the street."
-Brandon from the story "Boxer"
Humans of New York

Www.humansofnewyork.com