.human after all.

i had one of those random moments yesterday morning on the subway that was so utterly human and made me so warm and tingly inside i have to share. humanity makes me so excited. ha.

it was the morning after the ice storm, and particularly slippery and dangerous outside, so i opted to take the subway the (2) stops into work. as i was descending the stairs ever so carefully to avoid breaking my ass, i heard the F train pulling into the station. i broke into a delicate run, praying i didn't fall in front of the 40 or so people in the subway station, including my favorite ray charles impersonator. though i'm not sure he'd be able to see me. right.

i made it into the subway car, turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. after living in NY for two years, i've come to appreciate the exquisite pleasure that is making the subway right before the doors close. suddenly, the girl in front of me reaches out like the incredible hulk and prys the doors open to let her (boyfriend?) in. after he comes in 2 other people try and squeeze themselves in the door as well, the last girl squeezing through as the subway car starts to move. we catch each others eyes briefly and exchange a warm glance that say something like "holy fuck, you made it!"

as the subway car jolts to a start, the crowd stands in silence, musing on what the day might hold. and no further than 15 seconds in, an automated message comes on the loudspeaker:

"ladies and gentlemen, please don't hold the doors."

i start to giggle and look up, as the same girl i exchanged the "holy fuck" glance with, is laughing too. the two of us catch each other looking again, and throw up our hands together signaling "i know, isn't this ridiculous"and then continue on the subway ride all the way to work.

i know that when i describe it, it sounds kinda dumb like. ok, so she looked at a girl in the subway. big whoop. but the feeling of being in sync with a stranger like that, is just one of those things, that direct display of humanity that is hard for me to ignore. life. one of the signs that we are alive. and everyone comes from different places, are going to different places. but for one moment to have your paths converge...is amazing. especially in new york. i rarely make eye contact here, because usually when you do it's scary.

but yesterday i did. and it was nice. we're not alone.

we're human after all.