Bas~Melech does not endorse any off-site content.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Thawing

The little girl of six or seven trotted jauntily alongside a stroller and a mom, proudly bearing aloft a small bouquet of purple flowers for Shabbos. She turned her sunny face toward mine for the briefest moment and lit up my day.

It's midday on Erev Shabbos and the streets are teeming with young ones coming home from school, people of all sizes running errands, so busy with much to do yet simultaneously beginning to relax because the week is ending and Shabbos is coming. The snow and ice are finally melting and I suddenly realize that Brooklyn is much more likeable on foot, in the sun, when people have faces and aren't just huddled projectiles dashing in front of my car.

The little girl's smile is still in my heart for the next few blocks and it seems like all is right with the world. As I near my destination I am nearly hit head-on by a young woman intent on her smartphone. Somehow it seems she is missing the point. I ascend into the subway as she exits into a vibrant world she will probably never see. Maybe someone will bring her purple flowers for Shabbos, too.

3 comments:

Devorah said...

It's true. It's sad that people miss out on the beautiful world we live in because they are so busy texting and bbm'ing on their phones!

Floating Reflections said...

What a powerful reminder that other's share our world and if we open our eyes and hearts our own world will be so much richer for it.

Mystery Woman said...

It's not just the phones. sometimes we get so caught up with the everyday stresses, that we forget to notice all the beauty around us.