Subway Stress Savior

So yesterday I went to meet some people in manhattan for burgers at this place called Corner Bistro (best burgers).

I headed down the street to the subway and as I'm wandering down the steps, I hear my train pulling up so I running. I see my F train pulling into the station. I'm always psyched when I catch the train just in time. It's like a limo service waiting for you outside of the place- except there is no place and the limo is a subway. Anyway, these two people (maybe tourists) were both struggling to get through the turnstiles. There's only two turnstiles and both of these guys were having issues with their metrocard.

Metrocard is the swipe card to get on the subway and there's this trick to em. Not sure exactly what the trick is -but it's something in the wrist. And if you don't know the trick in the wrist, you can sit there all day swiping the card over and over again and it will tell you to 'swipe again'. And once people get started with the 'swipe again' situation it just goes on and on and on. Both of them were doing this and half-laughing about the fact that neither can get the card to work.

My F train stops and the doors open. For me catching the train just in time or missing the train by a second is the difference between a good mood ride or a bad mood ride. Sometimes the time between trains arriving can be 10 minutes or more!... and I was running late.

I listen to the two guys giggling oblivious to the fact that I'm behind them going berserk in my head. Because there! Right there! Is my F train! Door open! GO!! I knew I had less than ten seconds to get through these turnstiles! I was totally patient for at least like 4 seconds. Then at second 5 I let me presence be known by standing close to them. They looked back at me and stopped the giggling. And they started swiping their cards faster- which only makes the 'swipe again' situation worse. It beeps every time it fails. Beep. Beep. Beeeep. At second 7, I said 'Oh! C'mon!' They looked back at me summing me up as a jerk new yorker guy. By second 8 it was all over. Second 10 as the doors on my F closed and it pulled away without me. So I waited for the next. Completely pissed off for missing my limolike trainride.

After that I kind of clicked into a bad mood. Mad at myself for not being more aggressive with the two guys at the turnstile. For not speaking up at second 3 or 4 instead of waiting till second 7 like a dope. I was still sort of bitter when I got off the subway at the W4 station. And then went into a bad mood spiral and started thinking down roads about other things not good. I was meeting people for burgers and I knew there was going to be a line at this place. I got preemptively annoyed at the line. I got annoyed that the mad cow thing was affecting my burger experience. I just wanted to go home. I was walking with my head down and I'm sure slouchy and stuff.

And then at one sidestreet corner in the village I looked up and there it was. Sitting on top of a Fire/Police callbox. For no reason. Nobody was around. It just was mysteriously placed there. A snowglobe. I looked around for the owner of the snowglobe or any thing that tied the snowglobe to anything. Nothing. No one. So I picked it and shook it up. I wondered about the snowglobe. Why was it there? Who put it there? On top of the Fire/Police callbox? Why didn't they want it? Where was it brought from? For what? For why? Then I decided I knew the answer. It was for me!

And weird gift in hand, I wandered to the burger place all standing up straighter, bad mood shrugged off, tourists forgiven, priorities straightened and feeling cheery. Thanks to this mysterious snowglobe that was placed in my path for known reasons.

ok bye!

tOdd