A New View

I have always been an introverted person to the point of invisibility; sometimes when I’m sitting in a room someone will turn the lights off.

But then one rainy midnight I was lost and broke in the Bronx with a Boxer. “We’re lost.” The Boxer insisted. “It’s a detour.” I countered tracing my finger along the Subway lines on the map. “What if we hopped on the yellow to the red..and then here’s a green line..” I twisted the map hoping it would help me understand.

I reached into my pocket to fiddle with my Metro card, but my hand shot right through into the biting air. Glancing over at the Boxer, I decided it best not to mention this latest development.

I sat down on a nearby bench and hung my head in my hands. This was my first time away from home and family. In this moment the miles between us stretched from approximately 2, 799 (thanks Google maps) to infinite.

No trains had come. We had been down in the belly of the city for an hour with no hope of escape.

Until a man sauntered down the steps to join us. He was tall with thick dark hair and a grin.

He seemed surprised to see us and asked for our story. The Boxer explained our predicament: two young students in the City for the first time, caught in the rain, hopped on the wrong train, with no cell phones and no cash.

He laughed. How was this funny?

I stood with a martyr’s sigh. This only resulted in more laughter.
“What is it?” I wearily asked.

“Your butt is green.” the Boxer informed me. I looked back at the bench. Clearly hung was a sign declaring: WET PAINT

There was nothing left to do but laugh. And reader, we laughed together.

And then I learned that kindness comes from unexpected sources. That when you open yourself up to the world, inevitably, it will open itself up to you.

The native gave us directions and cash to help us get back.
We hugged him with gratitude.

He didn't just give us a way back. When we embraced one human being with another it was like he was saying “We share this city.”

I never saw him again. I wonder if he even knows the significance of his good deed.

Now when I am lost in life, I inhale and imagine myself on that platform, caught between hope and fear. I pause remembering that cold night and the lesson it taught me:

We are all travelers here. Our lives are intertwined and our journey is shared.

When the lights go out and I am alone in the room I remember I am not invisible. I am one with the Earth, and in a hopefully non-weird-way, I am one with you.