I've Got a Pin and I'm Burstin' Bubbles!

Well, it's been quite some time since I've written, and I've had some time to think on what to write next. The weather is heating up here in the NYC metro area (finally), so I've had some time to get out at lunch time and walk around the city. I usually head east over to Murray Hill, basically because it's a nice walk with trees once you get past Fifth Avenue, and I get to look at some old buildings and window shop at some interesting places. Despite the fact that I know New Yorkers can't walk and talk at the same time, I still try to head out a few days a week to make this journey across town and back, but as time goes on, I find myself doing it less and less.

I'm lucky because Penn Station is only two blocks from my office, so I don't have to deal with too much of a hassle to get there and back. No subways, no taxis, no long walks. It's especially nice when the weather's bad. However, I like to get outside a couple of times a day to get some fresh air (well as fresh as possible in Manhattan). Whether it's just a coffee/tea run or a walk, it's nice to see the city from somewhere other than my office window (and no, I don't enjoy seeing half naked dancers in the studio across the street).

So, Murray Hill, here I come. Ha! What a joke. What seems like it should be a pleasant walk is filled with people in their own little worlds. You can't see the bubbles, but they're there. They don't watch where they're going. They don't care they're walking too slow three-a-breast. They don't care they almost took your eye out with their umbrella. They're on some sort of mission, and you're not part of it.

Quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of having to step aside so the overworked, over-hyper businessman can rush past to his next meeting. I'm tired of getting stuck behind someone taking in the sights on a street with no sights. I'm tired of being pushed out of the way by young upstarts who think they rule the pavement. I'm tired of almost being run over by a cab racing to make the light because someone stops to answer their cell phone in the middle of the street.

I want you to know that this isn't just a local New York phenomenon. This is happening everywhere. It's almost like people miss how badly they drive, so they decide to take it to the sidewalks instead. New York is trying to pass a law that makes it illegal to talk on your cell phone, check your Blackberry or listed to your I-pod while you walk. Too many people are walking out into traffic because they're preoccupied with their gadgets. Hey, they did it for driving, so I'm all in favor of doing it for walking. And not just on the sidewalks, in the malls, in the supermarkets, in parks. Just about anywhere you can walk! But I doubt that this law would be greatly enforced. Too many people with too many gadgets equals too few people to enforce such a rule.

The scary thing, though, is that people are so far into their own bubble (even without the gadgets) that they have no idea what's going on around them in the larger scope of things. Sure, they catch a glimpse of something on the nightly news, but 30 second spots of "news" aren't very informative. People don't notice that their children are being poorly educated. They don't realize that people are the biggest weapon of mass destruction (saying this with Washington, DC in mind and the country club that runs the nation). People don't see the disease in other countries, let alone the health problems we have here. Poverty doesn't exist in your neighborhood, so you don't know it's out there in other neighborhoods.

The United States is turning into one of the poorest examples of a "great" nation. Ever since America won the Revolution against England, there has been this chip on this nation's shoulder that somehow excuses us for being too occupied with our own needs compared to the needs of others. Are we doing any good in the Middle East? G.W. is simply trying to finish what his daddy couldn't and save some of his family's oil fields. We're killing and being killed more than helping. Would it hurt to put some of our trillions and trillions of dollars that we supposedly have (at least for the "War") towards a nation that would appreciate our help? Or how about helping the people within our own borders that are desperate for a better life? How many people along the Gulf are still homeless? Oh, right, Katrina is such a thing of the past. We don't talk about what happened down there anymore. Hello! This is wrong!

Open your eyes people! YOU aren't the only one in the picture. Other people are trying to share the same space as you, and sometimes, YOU have to budge for a change. YOU have to make the move that will help someone along their path. The street goes in two directions and you can't drive down the yellow line on your path to greatness. Share the way. Help someone else. No matter how small a favor, it will be appreciated.

So watch out America--I'm fighting back! I've got a pin and I'm bursting bubbles! YOU could be next!

***Start the rest fo your day by doing something good. Read this article about the three Chihuahua puppies who were born without front legs. They're being helped at the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, NY, and donations are greatly needed for their aid: http://www.nsalamerica.org/campaigns/chihuahuas/. There, don't you feel better already?