Winning the Lottery

Riverside Park 

At lunch today, I walked along the sidewalk in Riverside Park enjoying the pleasant, sunny winter day.  I was chatting on the phone with my mother about a particularly good piece of news that I couldn't wait to share with her.

(Perhaps you remember my mom from a previous post. If not, you can read it here.)

My mom is quiet and soft spoken yet has a hidden courage and strength equal to that of a lioness.  She is kind, thoughtful and has a fun sense of humor. I am so thankful my daughters and I have her for a role model.

She wanted to know what it looked like where I was walking today.  She expected a hustling, bustling NYC sidewalk so I said I'd send her a picture.  So this one's for you, mom.

I truly did win the birth lottery and I can't wait to spend a lot more time with you very soon. 

The God Box

The Interchurch Center - AKA "God Box"

The building I work in has been dubbed "The God Box".  

At a funeral recently when my husband told an acquaintance where I worked, the person responded, "In the God Box?"

A towering 19-stories facing the Hudson River located at 475 Riverside Drive and 120th Street in Manhattan, New York City. 

I don't know when people started calling it that or who was the first to tag the building with that name, but it is rather catchy - don't you think?  I did a Google search of "God Box NYC" and six of the eight entries on the first page were absolutely about this building.

According to Wikipedia it received this nickname because of all the religious agencies located in the building. United Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church World Service, United Church of Christ, and the list goes on.  (If curiosity is killing the cat, you can read all about it here.) 

All kinds of God work going on in this place!  Jeepers!

However, even though it's dubbed "The God Box", everyone knows that just like you can't put Baby in a corner, you can't put God in a box.  

It's Just A Bad Rap

I'll be totally honest and I hope I don't disappoint you, but here goes.  It's been more difficult for me to spot my "Chockful and Bursting with Joy" moments since I've started living in NYC. 

I know!  I know!  I know this is exactly opposite of some people. They look around and see excitement!  The city energizes them!  Unfortunately, I struggle to share that sentiment. I look around on the daily commute and the walk home from the train.  It's loud. It's crowded. There is a lot of garbage and dirt.  People aren't smiling.  Laughter is rare. I find that rather than energizing me, the city drains me.

New Yorkers have gotten a really bad rap, however.  In over 16 months time, absolutely everyone I've spoken to on the train has been very nice to me, with the exception of only one person (who may or may not be the topic of a future post.) 

New Yorkers are forced to share small spaces and therefore become very private about their space in places like the subway or on the bus. Most people keep to themselves and just travel to and from work.It's kind of an unwritten rule on the metro.Therefore, if anything is said, it's typically me who says something first. However, when I do reach out I'm greeted with friendliness and a return smile. 

I should have been wise enough to remember that joy is in the people, not the surroundings.