Still in New York... and loving it!

Lately I have been noticing the small and frequent kindnesses that are overlooked, in favor of intense focus on the rare, yet egregious, indignities that city dwellers are more likely to encounter than suburbanites or small townies.

.::Scene On the Subway::.

On the Franklin Avenue shuttle one evening, it is crowded, as usual. Conspicuous among the people is a young, thin, man-child with a luggage cart. Strapped to his cart is a large and unwieldy computer monitor.

The shuttle stops and everyone begins their rushed exit, including the young brother with the cart. It is instantly clear that the cart’s wheels will fall into the wide gap between the train and the platform. He looks at his heavy cart and then quickly looks up into the crowd behind him. Watching his eyes shift rapidly back and forth, I suspect he is even wondering if the mood will turn ugly if he doesn’t hurry and get the cart out of the way.

During that small blip in time, an older brother, looking a bit rough around the edges, steps forward. He reaches down and picks up the bottom end of the cart, lifts it over the gap and gently sets it down on the platform. The man-child looks up and says, "thank you." In the process, he shows off the gorgeous smile of the truly grateful. His older counterpart responds with his own crooked, charming smile and a booming "you’re welcome."