Saturday, January 10, 2009

All the weight on my boots….

One of my uncountable resolutions this year is to notice and appreciate things that usually I just walk through; noticing how easy is to find peace in the middle of Wall Street anarchy and how tourists, after all, are not that bad, actually they are fun to watch… "All the leaves are brown…and the sky is gray... I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day"*

Overwhelmed by police cars, traffic jam, buildings blocking the sunlight and tourists I went for a short walk. I passed by the cemetery next to Trinity Church on Broadway and Wall Street and wondered if the corpse buried in there have found peace in the middle of that chaos, if they did why couldn’t I?

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It is amazing how the church, not been as tall as the rest of buildings, has their same magnificent and imposing presence. It was this thought that made me stop and get inside the church, and while listening to the chorus (they do sound like angels voices) and like hundreds of tourists visiting the church, I found serenity... “Stopped into a church… I passed along the way…Well, I got down on my knees”*

While waiting for the night to fall I got into conversations with some tourists. These were not like any others tourists (those who step on your toes, take their time walking, stop suddenly so your face bump into their backs, etc.) these were nice tourists: a couple posing for photos; cute and lovely, hugging each other, posing, smiling and… over of sudden the girl pushed the boy away, in an act that to me clearly read “now me without you“ and asked for a pic by herself… I smiled to the boyfriend who, with a big smile, celebrated her actions and step away…. aaaaaw! love is a beautiful thing .... I also meet three guys from Uruguay, talking to them and comparing New York and Latin America hospitality, weather and Christmas parties made me realize how much I wish to come back to my country Dominican Republic where I feel safe and warm. Guys thanks for the good conversation, you are such of charming and charismatic boys, take good care of yourselves and have a safe trip... "California dreaming… on such a winters day…"*

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Juan Manuel, Santi and Ricardo, three cute guys from Uruguay
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*Lyrics from California Dreaming - The Mamas and the Papas