Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

OF A BLOOMIN’ NEW YORK CITY

(on the Saturday eve before daylight savings time)

Ms. Cranky finds that some days everyone seems in utter despair and, then, on others, they’re quite cheerful.  Take the Saturday before Daylight Savings Time, for instance.  Ms. Cranky had an ordinary early March day when she had to go into Manhattan for a long meeting.  (By the way, Ms. Cranky’s volunteer activities are beginning to cost her a fortune – but, that’s another story!)
On the subway on the way in from Brooklyn, it seemed that everybody was talking to one another.  One conversation (Cranky thinks she might have started the whole thing by asking these guys what they were going to do with the antique shutters they were carrying?) began and from there it turned into several conversations and became lots of fun.
Then, after Cranky’s meeting as it was getting dark, the streets of Manhattan, from the 30’s up to the 60’s, were teeming, teeming with people and, though, you could hardly cross the street, Ms. Cranky quickly picked up the ‘spirit’ of the crowd though Ms. Cranky is still a little bit leery of crowds after her experience in December on the ‘Santa Claus Dress-Up-Day’ when she got walloped by a GIANT ELF on 7th Avenue.
But, this night, Saturday eve,  was not like that --- people were loud and laughing and talking but sweet too or they were quiet like Ms. Cranky and ‘in awe’ as if they had never seen the lights of Broadway before  --- but, sometimes it’s like you’re all ‘new’ and it’s your first time and you’re spellbound all over again.   That’s how Saturday evening in the city felt --- surprising, wondrous.
And, Ms. Cranky treasures many subway stations for their music --- and is never disappointed in the “F, N,R” etc. station under Macy’s at 34th and 6th Avenue and that Saturday night, the musicians (with lots of horns) were tremendous, and the audience was so happy and moving and grooving.  This group really got into it and there was even a tuba player --- a tuba player.  Ms. Cranky sometimes tips just because the artist has to carry heavy equipment down into a subway station.  But, these guys were fabulous and Cranky’s real sorry she couldn’t get close enough get to find out the group’s name --- next time, promise!!!
Then, on the “Q” train Cranky was taking to do an errand before going home, this lone guy gets on with some type of horn and with perfect pitch plays these haunting gooey slow-dance songs accompanied by background music from some box he was rolling along the aisle.
Ms. Cranky ALWAYS vows to only spend so much money a week on tips because she doesn’t have as much work as usual.  But, this week was a tough one for tips. 
But, tip jar notwithstanding, Cranky feels honored to live in a city where you never quite know what’s going to happen next (which, as we all know, is not always good!) but sometimes it’s just one wonderful surprise after another! Ms. Cranky had been previously thinking that everybody looked pretty gloomy and down on their luck but that Saturday it all changed back and life POPPED UP and talent asserted itself and people carrying antique shutters started several conversations and, then, we all gave helpful tips to tourists. 
Life, positive life and music happened and for Ms. CRANKY, at least, the gloom was gone.  Musicians performed, people who weren’t musicians were friendly and talked and, like the crocuses coming up through the hard wet earth, New York on that Saturday late afternoon and early evening, BLOOMED, zoomed, flowered --- came up from under --- becoming all that it’s capable of being --- spirited, thoughtful, kind, funky, mysterious, talented, musical, colorful, funny, endearing and forever interesting --- a bouquet of spring flowers of its very own being.

Thanks for stopping by.
Ms. CRANKY, March, 2012