Getting off the bus at the subway station at 6:00 this morning, I saw a man lying on the ground in a corner of the station. He was probably homeless and most likely drunk, from what I could tell, but he was obviously going to freeze if he stayed there. And instantly three other people stopped with me, and two of us went to notify the subway agent, who told us he'd already contacted emergency services. And another agent came up to check in and confirm the man was still there, and anyway, it just felt like the whole station was gearing up and gathering round to help this man. No question, no judgment, no walking past and letting someone else deal with the problem. And it felt good to know that if I ever had a medical issue and needed help, people would stop to help me.
Then as I got onto the subway train, I saw two women give each other a hug goodbye as they headed off in opposite directions, and I thought, what a nice way to start your work day!
As I got off the bus, a fellow I know was walking along and we fell into step together. And he laughed about how cold it was, and how under-dressed and unprepared he was for the cold. And I had to laugh, because this man is from Russia.
I cut through the MARS building (medical research building) to get to my office, and found they've set up about ten fake pine trees in the lobby and throughout the building, all decked out in beautiful white lights. They're wintery and cozy and glowing and --while being non-denominational -- put me in a Christmasy mood.
My Jewish boss laboriously wrote out 152 personalized Christmas cards to give to all the staff in our department, and carefully chose non-Christmas holiday cards to give to those who are Muslim.
And now I'm sitting at my desk and looking forward to observing and recording other serendipitous happy moments that happen today.
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