Notes on a Friday in May

I'm not talkative today, the only one at work in a good mood, happy it's Friday. My coworkers are on vacation and I am left answering phones alone, but my boss is out most of the day which ensures that the phones are quiet, and I have time to clean and organize his desk--a perpetual mess. I am determined to remain positive minded although the people at work can be so needlessly negative. Perhaps my Pollyanna attitude will wear away at them and make some small difference. Luckily I am contrary, and if they are going to be horrid, I am all the more determined to be pleasant. Anyway, it feels good to keep a smile on. The watch and jewelry business will never be more important than my peace of mind.

After work I walk 30 blocks up into the heart of the upper east side, simply because I can, enjoying the timid sunshine of a spring evening. Here, the city in spring time is beautiful. Potted flowers match the pastel shirts and sweaters of men walking spotted spaniels. All the shop windows are full of white dresses. There are huge bins of purple lilacs for sale in the corner flower-shops. Restaurants tables spill out onto clean, rain-washed sidewalks. I take it all in, observing each person that I pass, and yet I feel strangely detached. Twice, old men say hello to me, but I'm half a block away before I realize it. Then I feel sad--I don't mean to ignore people. It's just so easy to get caught up in my own dreamworld, with my headphones on and my fast walk, I'm not looking to chat.

I water the drooping ivy in the Park Avenue apartment--my chore is done--and head to the park. Passing the Guggenheim, young folks pose for pictures of each other, one holding a friend on his shoulders, both of them laughing. Joining runners, I walk around the reservoir, in awe of the lush blue water and pastel skyscrapers across the way. A cormorant or a grebe (I really don't know which) flies low and black across the water. I am delighted to see red columbine in abundance alongside my trail. The sun sets behind a building, and when I reach the west side I catch the subway home. Sleepy and hungry, I'm ready to start my weekend!