Archive for November, 2009

WHew! Can’t believe I haven’t written in this long. Feels good to stretch my fingers. So……

I’ve been observing New Yorkers a lot more, recently. Being one, I’ve always thought I knew all there was to know about us. But, no.

My daily metro commutes have been weighing me down a bit, lately. Hard, sad faces. Tired, depression-ridden expressions. People overwhelmed with life held prisoner to beggars, religious zealots and scam artists alike until they reach their stops. All Mr./Ms. Commuter wants to do is get to and from his/her plantation of a job–that he/she has been forced to be happy about given the steady lay-offs–even though it is hell contained in a cubicle.

The common denominator that I’ve noticed on all of these peoples’ faces is a lack of happiness. Their grimaces are the results of limited sunshine, very little good news and underexposure to genuine emotion. They are bombarded with crime, murder and scandal every day. And that’s just the TV shows. Not to mention the other-than-reality-TV reality, like the news and the morning papers. All of it presses down on the brow. Closes the third eye. Grays the skin.

I know that this is all due to a lack of happiness. And at the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy I will share how I know:

Whenever my fiancé and I (that’s right y’all, your girl’s gettin’ hitched *cheese*) get on the train and carry on as people in love do (read: completely into one another, glowing and all mushyloveydovey) we can’t help but to notice the gray tones subsiding. It’s like the final scene from The Wiz when the factory workers begin to “Feel a Brand New Day.” We glimpse smiles (some subtle, some outright) and staring. We get comments from strangers who in almost a thankful tone compliment us on being a beautiful couple or tell us to keep it going. It’s almost like they see in us hope, that true love and happiness can thrive in all of the trash that constantly pollutes the average New Yorker’s life… or a reminder of the love and happiness they have in their own lives and have been too stressed to pay much attention to.

I have come to the conclusion, therefore, that New Yorkers, if given the choice, would not be as cold and heartless as we are. We have all learned to wear this shell, this mask, this “Don’t Eff with Me, I Will END You” exterior to ward off all the crazies. And as a result, we all blend in with the crazies. But if you search, really hard, you can see past the masks. I like to try. I used to sit on the train and picture what each person looks like when they are smiling. It never fails to warm my heart. And now, when I’m with my hubby-to-be, I get to see that my visions weren’t too far off.

Try to show off the brighter, more loving and happiest side of you today and do your best to be contagious. You never know who you will inspire to do the same.

as ever,

M(r)s. Cyu