I don’t have a lovely photoshopped New Year’s picture of Richard Armitage for you but I send you all my best wishes. I holidayed like a mad woman for the past week and half to make up for a bad start to the season, and actually made the proverbial silk purse out of a sow’s ear. While on the way home happily contemplating my excesses, I observed a churlish conductor on the train who gave a disabled couple a hard time. He seemed determined to spread his unhappiness around, which only compounded his problem because of the disapproving passenger witnesses. He went so far as to call security on the couple but that backfired.
I wondered about the source of his unhappiness and the situation he’d created on the train to justify his surliness and thought about my own situation. With a distressing job and depression behind me, the world lays open before me. But just as the conductor created his own pocket of unhappiness on the train, I must remember that it’s up to me to find and nurture my own happiness in the coming year.
When the train pulled into the station, the snow was still coming down. I snagged a cab and we fishtailed down a street. A woman stood on a corner trying to flag the cab, but the driver shouted that it was taken. The street appeared so desolate with no bus, cab or any other car in sight, that I agreed to share the cab with her and she joyfully hopped in. We agreed I’d get dropped off first, then the driver would take her to work. When we arrived at my door, I had “ATM Syndrome,” (no change for a $20 bill) and so did the driver. To my surprise, the lady said, “I’ll pay for it. Thank you so much for sharing the ride.” We all beamed at each other and wished each other Happy New Year.
Nice start to the year, yes?
May your year bring peace, health, and happiness.