Juxtaposition

I worked a shift at The Container Store, Lexington Ave today. 7am-4pm. LONG day - and so busy. No one prepared me for the Manhattan store being as busy as the Raleigh store at Black Friday and Christmas eve combined! So much traffic, so many consumers. The store offers delivery of all purchases for a small $25 fee, but many choose to just carry it out with them. That's when we get creative with a complex system that is still pending patent approval- making the handles of a bag longer by tying another bag to it and thus creating somewhat of a "messenger" style bag. Welcome to walking 42 blocks with organizational and home goods.
My co-workers are nice. In their company, what I did (moving to NYC) wasn't crazy or random or something no one's ever done before. It seems everyone is a transplant; I met several girls from the south and hearing them say "y'all" brought a surprising smile to my face (it's a southern thing I have shamelessly embraced over the years). They are all here pursing their dreams and ambitions be it school, acting, graduate studies, design, etc and everyone has committed to a year or more making it work. My partner for the morning processing shift is from Atlanta and we came up with a list of misconceptions people told us about the city that are completely false:

a. everyone wears all-black  (looking out the window on a busy avenue I saw two people in all black).
b. people are rude (people are in a hurry, and who wouldn't be when there are hundreds of people crossing an intersection in approximately 30 seconds?).
c. you will be laughed at for being "sweet, southern and saying 'y'all" (actually it's endearing ;-) )
d. it's expensive (that's debatable - come live in the Bronx! haha)
e. TOMS will be comfortable walking shoes (oh my gosh, my feet are in so much pain... but rumor is they'll toughen up soon)

and a truth I wasn't told: just HOW dirty the city is. Yuck. There is grime and soot and dirt and dust everywhere. Apparently rats outnumber people here - but if I see a rodent I will scream. Let's just hope I never see it.

After work I drifted over to Bloomingdale's (NOT to buy, just to see the city from the 8th floor  - which is disappointing because I couldn't really see anything) and then jumped on the subway to get home. And I had to wait for the next #4 train to come because the first one was packed so tightly the doors could barely close! It was on the train that I encountered perhaps the biggest juxtaposition in the city. I daily go from beauty and wealth and impressive buildings and well-dressed professionals to the forgotten and marginalized of society. It was today on the Woodlawn Bound #4 express train that I saw such a man.
After breezing past a homeless woman in a terminal yesterday simply because I was rushing with the crowd to catch the train I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to turn around and give her some food. But the terminal was crowded and people pressed in on every side. So I didn't. I left her there to beg. Yet another victim of carelessness and a callous city. I asked God to give me the chance to bless someone every day - be it a smile, a conversation, help with groceries or aid to the poor and forgotten members of society.
I won't go into great detail about this man on the train, but I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit again to give to him. He took the food I offered with a look of great relief and a small smile before transitioning into the next car.
I know, I know - everyone has their opinion on poverty and homelessness. I am aware that many are there by careless choices, their own and others'. I know much money is spent on drugs and alcohol. But I have never been reduced to begging. I have never known utter hopelessness. And if my oats and grain granola bar can encourage someone's life and share hope then that makes being one of 8 million in this place worth it.
Such juxtapositions. Hopes and dreams on Lexington Ave and sheer hopelessness somewhere between 86th and 125th.