Whether intentionally or un-, on this gloomy, wet, freezing day I further contributed to today's misery. Typically, I'm on the short end of the misery stick, the victim of Mother Nature's wrath, resulting in soaked through white dresses, forgotten or inside out umbrellas, and getting splashed by street water while trying to fight the soggy masses for a cab.
Today began slightly differently for me. I didn't have anywhere in particular to be, aside from the gym. I wasn't in a hurry. I wasn't wearing my favorite non-waterproof suede boots. I didn't mind being wet because I was just going for a swim at the gym. La la la. I may have even sung in the rain. As I got out of the subway, rain blowing sideways, black umbrellas in my face, people huddling under awnings in my way, I was a bit disoriented. I didn't recognized which subway exit I had emerged from, I didn't know which corner I was standing on. A girl approached me, "Excuse me? Excuse me? Is Broadway that way," she asked, pointing to my left. There's nothing I hate more than looking like a tourist in Times Square. I've been going to this gym everyday for 3 weeks now, of course I know where I am. I look up at the sky as if that's where the answer lies. "Um," I answered, "I thought this is Broadway," pointing to the street we're on, looking around for signs. "No," she said, the audacity of the Blind being annoyed at the Blind, "this is Seventh Ave." Ok, well, Ponce De Leon, if your goddamn inner compass is working all of a sudden, you don't need my help, I wanted to say. But I looked up at the billboard, looked at the M&M store to my right and I concurred, "Yes, yes, it's that way," pointing in the direction she was already walking in. I turned the corner, walked about ten more steps, and realized I was walking to my gym that's located on Broadway, in the opposite direction. Shit. What a dunce. I turned around and debated running after her to tell her, it sucks to be walking around lost in the pouring rain, but she was already gone. Ah well. Off to my swim.
After the gym, on the W train back to my apartment, when the doors opened at 34th St, there was a large seemingly homeless black lady bent over on the platform. First, I was like, "Wow, that's a large woman." Then I was like, "she really shouldn't be those brown leggings." And then I realized she was standing on the platform, all 180 lbs of her, with no pants on, and her underwear pulled down. This has no relevance to the story I was telling. I just thought that was really crazy.
Back in my apartment, I was going to begin my detox today, but I wanted to go for a swim again tomorrow, and I knew I was going to be drinking and eating a lot for Halloween so I decided to postpone the fast. On this cold and rainy day I thought this was the perfect day to order a soup from Hale & Hearty, only 5 blocks away! I looked on the site and what's the soup of the day? Broccoli Cheddar Mashed Potato! My all time favorite! So I happily clicked away, putting the mega sized soup in my shopping cart, and settled in to my couch to watch Californication while waiting. An hour later, the delivery man arrived, his full body poncho completely drenched, 6 heat-saver bags of deliveries weighing down his shoulders, and I grabbed my soup, tipped him a dollar, and wished him a great day.
While walking to the elevator, I realized that that was rather shitty of me. The guy's probably got a million deliveries on this nasty day and I pick today of all days to be cheap. Ah well. I always order from there. I'll get him next time.
I got in the elevator anxious to get back up to the seventh floor so I could dive into my soup when I heard footsteps running and someone yelling, "Hold the door!" I pressed "7" and jabbed my index finger as fast as a could on the "Door Close" button and was thoroughly satisfied that I had achieved my goal of slamming the door in this stranger's face. On my seven floor ride, I reflected on my day so far and thought, "My, I've been quite the little rain troll all day." It seems perhaps I've had to sacrifice other people's happiness for me, for once, to have a good day on a rainy day. That I'm willing to do. (Smug smile).
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