My friends and I made it to the video. We're at 2:08 square dancing and 2:30 napping. So, I wonder, will I continue to get my 15 minutes of fame in 6 second increments?
http://improveverywhere.com/2009/06/15/the-mp3-experiment-six/
(Sorry, I still can't figure out how to post links!)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Unexpected Blessings
Tonight on the train home, I had the most beautiful experience. And seeing as I was on the L, that's saying a lot!
I was standing in the middle of a car, in between a family: a mother and son on one side, a father and daughter on the other. I rode with them for 3 stops and watched as they interacted with each other. It was the little boy who I first noticed. He was about 4 years old (the age I always picture my son when I'm feeling nostalgic or lonely for him--also, if I had to pick a favorite age of my son, it would be 4) and he asked his sister for a piece of gum he found in her backpack by motioning to her across the train. She shook her head no and he promptly stuck out his tongue at her.
Now this is not cute to parents, but it's incredibly endearing to those of us whose children are grown. What struck me was how the mother interacted with her children. It was so obvious that they were loved. And this despite the fact that the entire family was incredibly tired--both parents were nodding off, and so was their daughter, but not their son who was filled with energy.
I wish I had a better vocabulary so that I could express the joy I felt for being able to witness this family for even a short time. I wondered if they knew how lucky they were to have each other. I wondered if they knew that their parenting showed through their interactions, even to a stranger observing them on a train. I wondered if they were able to take in the joy of that moment, and the thousands of other moments that occur in their lives, instead of just letting in pass unnoticed. I wondered how many times in my own life I have let moments just like these pass me by because I was tired, or worried, or had my priorities mixed up.
I thank God that I was able to see clearly tonight and pray that I am able to keep my eyes open to notice the joy that surrounds me every day.
I was standing in the middle of a car, in between a family: a mother and son on one side, a father and daughter on the other. I rode with them for 3 stops and watched as they interacted with each other. It was the little boy who I first noticed. He was about 4 years old (the age I always picture my son when I'm feeling nostalgic or lonely for him--also, if I had to pick a favorite age of my son, it would be 4) and he asked his sister for a piece of gum he found in her backpack by motioning to her across the train. She shook her head no and he promptly stuck out his tongue at her.
Now this is not cute to parents, but it's incredibly endearing to those of us whose children are grown. What struck me was how the mother interacted with her children. It was so obvious that they were loved. And this despite the fact that the entire family was incredibly tired--both parents were nodding off, and so was their daughter, but not their son who was filled with energy.
I wish I had a better vocabulary so that I could express the joy I felt for being able to witness this family for even a short time. I wondered if they knew how lucky they were to have each other. I wondered if they knew that their parenting showed through their interactions, even to a stranger observing them on a train. I wondered if they were able to take in the joy of that moment, and the thousands of other moments that occur in their lives, instead of just letting in pass unnoticed. I wondered how many times in my own life I have let moments just like these pass me by because I was tired, or worried, or had my priorities mixed up.
I thank God that I was able to see clearly tonight and pray that I am able to keep my eyes open to notice the joy that surrounds me every day.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Shaekspeare in the Park
One of the best things about this city is that there are a ton of things to do for free. Last night when I got home from Coney Island (now one of my favorite NYC spots!) I saw an email from a community member offering up an extra ticket to see Twelfth Night with Anne Hathaway in Central Park.
The tickets are free, you just have to stand in line very early in the morning or enter the online lottery to get tickets. Julia won them online. And I got to go with her!
It was fabulous! A comedy (who doesn't like a comedy?) with fabulous actors on a small stage in the center of Central Park. It did rain (they even had to take a rain delay shortly after starting--but it finally cleared up), I did get wet, and it turned a little cold, but that just adds to the adventure.
If you ever get a chance to go, GO!
The tickets are free, you just have to stand in line very early in the morning or enter the online lottery to get tickets. Julia won them online. And I got to go with her!
It was fabulous! A comedy (who doesn't like a comedy?) with fabulous actors on a small stage in the center of Central Park. It did rain (they even had to take a rain delay shortly after starting--but it finally cleared up), I did get wet, and it turned a little cold, but that just adds to the adventure.
If you ever get a chance to go, GO!
Coney Island
Yesterday I decided to take the day off to do nothing but something fun and relaxing. (So if any of my roommates are reading this, I had this planned before you decided to have a spring cleaning day!) Which fit in perfectly with my small group bible lesson from this week, taking a Sabbath. There was much discussion as to what it means to take a Sabbath, but I went away with the understanding that it is important to take time to de-stress and unwind from the busy week. And especially in this city, where even going grocery shopping or doing the laundry can be a real chore!
So yesterday I started off my day by going to Coney Island. It was in the 70's and overcast, but after an entire week of rain (and especially getting rained on--no getting into your car from your attached garage in this city!) I considered it to be a perfect day!
It would be impossible for me to say everything I did, but I'm going to try! First was a stop at Nathan's Coney Island for a hot dog and fries, a must when going to Coney Island. They have a bunch of stand up tables, so I joined someone, (with his permission, of course) since there were no empty tables. Turns out he was a vendor on his lunch break. He had been coming to CI all his life, and told me about the many changes that have occurred at the park.
Then it was off to walk the boardwalk; a 5 minute free massage; a ride on the tilt-a-whirl (my absolute favorite ride ever!); played a couple of games of ski-ball; shot some objects in the shooting gallery (and I'm a good shot, too--I hit some buckets that sprayed water on the people who were next to me!); walked along the beach and went into the water up to my knees (it was cold); saw some people fishing (and they used chicken as bait--I think they were going for crabs?); saw an African festival; and read a book on the beach.
The thing that struck me most was the people. It wasn't too crowded since the weather wasn't nice, but the people there were all enjoying themselves. Kids swimming, making sandcastles, burying each other and their parents in the sand. And it seemed to me that most of the people there were not wealthy (me judging them by what they wore and had with them, shallow maybe, but probably accurate.) It reminded me a lot of how I grew up. I always remember having a ball with my siblings and cousins. We were poor, but we were always together and we always had a good time (until someone got hurt and we got yelled at, that is.) There were so many smiles and so much laughter on that beach, that I felt totally re-energized by being there around so many people who were able to enjoy the simple things in life.
That seems to vary so much when I see children, teens and adults of those who seem to have everything (meaning mostly $$$.) There doesn't seem to be as much joy and laughter. I hope that I can remember what is truly important in life, and remember to have joy and laughter every day, not because of what I have, but because of who I'm with and because I am truly loved by my creator.
So yesterday I started off my day by going to Coney Island. It was in the 70's and overcast, but after an entire week of rain (and especially getting rained on--no getting into your car from your attached garage in this city!) I considered it to be a perfect day!
It would be impossible for me to say everything I did, but I'm going to try! First was a stop at Nathan's Coney Island for a hot dog and fries, a must when going to Coney Island. They have a bunch of stand up tables, so I joined someone, (with his permission, of course) since there were no empty tables. Turns out he was a vendor on his lunch break. He had been coming to CI all his life, and told me about the many changes that have occurred at the park.
Then it was off to walk the boardwalk; a 5 minute free massage; a ride on the tilt-a-whirl (my absolute favorite ride ever!); played a couple of games of ski-ball; shot some objects in the shooting gallery (and I'm a good shot, too--I hit some buckets that sprayed water on the people who were next to me!); walked along the beach and went into the water up to my knees (it was cold); saw some people fishing (and they used chicken as bait--I think they were going for crabs?); saw an African festival; and read a book on the beach.
The thing that struck me most was the people. It wasn't too crowded since the weather wasn't nice, but the people there were all enjoying themselves. Kids swimming, making sandcastles, burying each other and their parents in the sand. And it seemed to me that most of the people there were not wealthy (me judging them by what they wore and had with them, shallow maybe, but probably accurate.) It reminded me a lot of how I grew up. I always remember having a ball with my siblings and cousins. We were poor, but we were always together and we always had a good time (until someone got hurt and we got yelled at, that is.) There were so many smiles and so much laughter on that beach, that I felt totally re-energized by being there around so many people who were able to enjoy the simple things in life.
That seems to vary so much when I see children, teens and adults of those who seem to have everything (meaning mostly $$$.) There doesn't seem to be as much joy and laughter. I hope that I can remember what is truly important in life, and remember to have joy and laughter every day, not because of what I have, but because of who I'm with and because I am truly loved by my creator.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Three Things, Minus One
Today was a funny day, although it's hard to say that this day stands out more than any other in NYC--something odd, funny and unusual happens every day. But three particular things stuck in my mind today.
1. When I got off the 6 train at 33rd Street, there was a pair of shoes stuck up on the gate. It struck me as quite funny, so I took out my cell phone and snapped a few pictures. That got me some strange looks from a couple of older business men, especially after I explained why I was taking the pictures, which only added to my amusement.
2. I love being on the subway when school lets out. (I also dread it at the same time because the kids are so loud and the train gets crowded fast!) I hear the funniest stuff from the kids (preteens and teenagers) when I eavesdrop on their conversations. (Okay, eavesdropping may be wrong, but it's totally unavoidable!) Today I heard a conversation between a couple of teens. One girl had her sidekick stolen. (I believe a sidekick is an mp3 player, but I may be wrong. If anyone knows for certain what it is, please feel free to school me!) And she thought she knew who took it. The young man was explaining what he would do if if someone took his--he was showing off some fighting moves--and exclaimed, "I mean you take my sidekick, that's like my wife." Funny; right? I smiled all the way as I transferred from the L to the G.
3. Okay, I know there was a third thing today that I found particularly funny, odd or unusual, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. Am I getting so old that I'm losing my memory? Hmmm, maybe. And why didn't I just name this post 'Two Things' and not admit that I was losing my memory? I can't remember why. And now that I think about it, maybe that kid said 'life' and not 'wife.' That would make more sense. I must be losing my hearing, too!
1. When I got off the 6 train at 33rd Street, there was a pair of shoes stuck up on the gate. It struck me as quite funny, so I took out my cell phone and snapped a few pictures. That got me some strange looks from a couple of older business men, especially after I explained why I was taking the pictures, which only added to my amusement.
2. I love being on the subway when school lets out. (I also dread it at the same time because the kids are so loud and the train gets crowded fast!) I hear the funniest stuff from the kids (preteens and teenagers) when I eavesdrop on their conversations. (Okay, eavesdropping may be wrong, but it's totally unavoidable!) Today I heard a conversation between a couple of teens. One girl had her sidekick stolen. (I believe a sidekick is an mp3 player, but I may be wrong. If anyone knows for certain what it is, please feel free to school me!) And she thought she knew who took it. The young man was explaining what he would do if if someone took his--he was showing off some fighting moves--and exclaimed, "I mean you take my sidekick, that's like my wife." Funny; right? I smiled all the way as I transferred from the L to the G.
3. Okay, I know there was a third thing today that I found particularly funny, odd or unusual, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. Am I getting so old that I'm losing my memory? Hmmm, maybe. And why didn't I just name this post 'Two Things' and not admit that I was losing my memory? I can't remember why. And now that I think about it, maybe that kid said 'life' and not 'wife.' That would make more sense. I must be losing my hearing, too!
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