Flowers For You
As I wrote this I was sitting in the lobby of 'The Manhattan Hotel At Times Square', situated at 51st. Street and 7th. Avenue. It was a bright, sunny but very cold wintery day in New York City and every so often I took a break from writing just to watch the snowflakes fall and marvel at the abundance of the Yellow Taxi Cabs edging their way along 7th. Avenue, and I reflected on my visit thus far......
On my first day visiting this vibrant city, I window shopped my way up and down the streets and avenues, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Manhattan. Walking through Times Square, on my way back to the hotel, I stopped at an intersection, waiting to cross the street. To my right was a well-dressed, quite elderly and frail- looking woman waiting to cross as well. When I approached the curb, she turned to me and asked if I would help her, since the wide intersection made her a little nervous. I said I’d be glad to help so when the light turned green she put her arm through mine and we slowly made our way to the other side of the street, carefully avoiding the curbside puddles of melting snow.
Once we had crossed, she asked if I would be able to help her to the nearest subway station. Not really being certain where the nearest Subway station was, I said yes, anyway, knowing that I had passed a station entrance in my earlier jaunt along 7th. Avenue. For the next several blocks we walked and talked and it was actually quite amazing how many topics we covered in such a short span of time. I learned that she was eighty-six years old, had her first of three children at age twenty, and had four grandchildren, who, even though she had paid their University tuitions, she had seen very little of in the last year. She had moved from the Lower East Side of New York City to the Upper West Side, six months previous, against her family’s wishes. She told me how much she could have purchased her apartment for had she bought it several years earlier when she first told them she wanted to move there. She told me that she was actually having some family problems and was, in fact, on her way now to a much needed appointment with her lawyer. Her children would be meeting her there. Her eyes teared as she spoke of how lonely she was now that her husband had passed away and how her children were so caught up in their own lives and search for financial success that they never seemed to have time to fit her into their lives - although this was not anything she should be surprised about as they had always had a sense of entitlement and were only available to share their life with her if there was some thing they would get in return. She now thought that perhaps she had given too much......
As we headed to the Subway, we passed a flower shop and she asked if I would mind waiting while she went in to buy a bouquet - in fact she asked me to help her choose something that could brighten her day. When we reached the subway station at 42nd Street, I helped her down the stairs and waited with her until she located her Subway Card. Before she made her way through the automatic gate, she thanked me, and handed me the bouquet of flowers she had just bought, saying ‘These flowers are for you for being being so kind to a stranger. Then she went through the turnstile, said God Bless, and blew me a kiss.
As I waved goodbye to her, I realized that of all the things New York City had to offer, the highlight of my visit up to this point was not Times Square, Central Park, 5th. Avenue, Park Avenue, a Broadway show, a good restaurant, or even the amazing architecture. It was, instead, an eighty-six year old stranger who gave me the gentle nudge I need every now and again to remind me that we have not been placed in this life solely for pleasure, success and material gain - we all have a more altruistic purpose - and our kindness and compassion is our obligation to humanity - our chance to “‘make someone’s day” better than it would have been had they not crossed our path.
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