Christmas Is There For the Finding

Slideshow-click on link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9UHAw2e9kx5891cffiOY3t94u8rkO2Y/view?usp=sharing  I had to download it to be able to watch the slideshow of pictures.  But it works.

This holiday I’m spending in New York City.  My daughter, Elizabeth and her friend Josef, planned on being in Brazil during the holiday.  She invited me and a friend to stay in their apartment while they were gone.  She also paid for our tickets from Detroit to NYC!   

They have a little pooch, Ellie, who could have had other accommodations while they were traveling, but I couldn’t imagine why I couldn’t be there and explore the city and give her some TLC while there.  A dog-walking service is available too, so if the day gets extended, Ellie is well taken care of without worry.

Ellie Posing in NYC

I’ve celebrated this time of year before in foreign countries. Being in Brooklyn has the feel of being in a foreign country. Here’s some of the reasons.

a) I hear foreign languages and ethnic music in many areas of Brooklyn

    and Manhattan.  

b) There are restaurants and stores dedicated to ethnic foods I’ve never

    experienced.  (I’ve got a lot to learn)

c)  Kiosks of foods pop up all over.

c) The subway system is a maze of solutions waiting to be discovered.

d) Neighborhood people greet me in the morning. It feels accepting. 

e) Anton, the Super of the apartment building, introduced himself to me. 

f)  The hot water pipes can sound like there’s a miner stuck inside with

    his hammer trying to dig his way out. 

g) Musicians, families, professionals, students, beggars and homeless

    people in the subway.

h) Signs in Russian, Jamaican, Chinese, Japanese, Yiddish, Arabic and

    more.  This morning I read an advertisement for Greek food!

i)  People carrying their newly purchased Christmas tree down the street.

j)  Fresh foods lined up outside neighborhood markets. Butchers and fish

   markets nearby.

k) Famous graffiti artists work displayed on buildings.

If I get lost, which is easy in NYC, I feel more vulnerable to the people and area I’m lost in. Cell phones don’t always help.  Reaching out to people and asking for help is difficult for me at first. Underlying fear of cities sometimes creeps up to freeze me.  That only makes lost seem more lost.

It's Worth Getting Lost to Find a Thrift Store!

Usually though, it means more walking. I’ve ended up on the SW side of the area Metro and should have been on the NE side. Going into an interesting store or restaurant can mean forgetting which direction I was going—sidetracked. 

Ambulances, fire trucks, cars, trucks, scooters, bicycles, buses and the subway make silence seem as precious as it was when my children were crib-age and slept through the night.

The sounds in New York City make me feel alive. It’s like jumping in cold Lake Huron water, adjusting and enjoying the invigorating sense of life it brings to me.

Honking horns seems to be characteristic of this city.  As I was talking to a nurse from U of M on the phone one day, while on the sidewalk, she relayed some information and said, “I can hear you’re in NY!”  

Nothing is more interesting to me than the people. I learn watching people.  I think I survive better if I’m in tune with people around me.  In three ways.  I can sense danger. I can get help out of my “Lostness” and best of all I can be happily surprised at a myriad of facets I find in human nature.

First Skeleton I've Seen Wearing a Santa Hat

I wrote most of this post before I took Ellie for a walk to Prospect Park this morning.  It wasn’t long into our walk that I found a discarded Christmas tree.  I happily grabbed it and carried it on the walk. So, I was one of those people walking with a Christmas tree.  I prefer to have surprises I would never have predicted, it’s what traveling is for me - adventure!