I was in Manhattan on 9/11 and had a meeting with a potential client on the Upper West Side at the south end of Central Park at 9:30 a.m. I don’t typically have to take early morning commutes and rarely into NYC. In some ways this was good for me to get a feel for what the typical person does daily who works in this city. Part of me admires their tenacity to commute the distance and time they do daily to provide for their family. I can’t picture myself doing it in any form of transportation whether by car, train, or plane on a daily basis probably because I’ve never had to do so. This is a lot of time to me that’s spent sitting and waiting to get to and from work.
I was thinking about what NYC was like on this day 8 yrs ago and watching people today as they were on their way to work. Were they thinking about 9/11 back on 2001 like I was? I pondered about how many were actually happy with life in general. Were they going to a job they truly enjoyed and were passionate about? Or was it just to make ends meet? Were they thankful that they are safe, have a job in this economy, and not in the Twin Towers at the time of the attacks? Or were they so wrapped up in what needed to get done that day they didn’t think to remember? I paused to remember the families who have lost loved ones during that time as I sat on the train to get to Grand Central Station.
As I landed in Grand Central from Connecticut I had to catch the subway to my stop on the Upper West Side. I recalled a recent writing I posted here about our children teaching us to appreciate the extraordinary as I was walking along to catch the right subway and glimpsed a man performing with a guitar and singing. I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t, I was running late. I think I needed to have a child with me to remind me to stop and not worry if I was late. Just enjoy the moment, but I didn’t. At least I thought about it, but I didn’t stop.
I arrived just in time at my destination because honestly I stepped onto an express train when I shouldn’t have and it took me pass my stop and I had to get off, get on the local train and head back downtown. Hey, the map told me I had to be on the A train, I didn’t think it mattered if I was on the express or not. So I’m reminded to look at the specifics and pay attention to the details in order to get to where I need to be. Isn’t that how life works as well. We can have a vision of what we want to do, who we want to be and where we want to go, but if we aren’t willing to work the details of the plan the vision doesn’t come to fruition.
As I finish my meeting and get back to Grand Central to catch the train back to where I am staying I have some free time to wander, watch, and catch up on some phone calls and emails. I’m in the process of texting a lady about a workshop I’m doing for her organization next week when 4 kids walk up to me and ask me if I have time to answer some questions for a survey. Why not? I have the time. I’m going to assume they are in high school since it’s the middle of the day and middle school kids and younger shouldn’t be wandering streets of NYC without their parents or another adult. They were each from different diverse backgrounds, African American, Hispanic, and Asian. The survey involved 3 questions. In one word what is my definition of democracy? What will it take to have this? How can it be incorporated into schools? I was able to answer the first question with one word, the second with two words and the third I said there’s no way I can answer that in one sentence, but I was able to do so in a 30 second explanation. Their eyes popped out and they were impressed with what I had to say. Personally I was happy to just get the chance to add some positive to their day and let them know there is hope for them. Are you instilling hope in our youth by the words you say and example you set?
I thought this was cool that these kids were doing this. To hear how others think and gain a larger perspective from people of various walks of life. This caused me to think back to the beginning of my day as I sat on the train to go to NYC and remembering 9/11. We live in a democracy that allows us to speak out our thoughts and feelings. This allows our youth to have choices to think outside the box, explore, and determine for themselves who they want to become. I was uplifted as I headed home to remind myself of the freedom I have in this country that far outweighs many other places in this world. Is there still unfairness that occurs? Too much of it in my mind! But we still have a choice to make a difference one at a time with people we encounter each day. Are you seeing opportunities in your day to encourage our youth or passing it by?
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